Yo, I'm back with another team.
Updated team following trinitrotoluenes rate. Changes in red
First point to note: I'm still quite new to competitive battling. Having said that I put quite a lot of thought in to this team and think I have something that seems to be going OK. The team has had moderate success but maybe it could be better if I was a better player!
Second point: I first made this team before the genesect ban.
Third point: I saw someone else using a scarf Zapdos and I thought that it looked like a fun check/counter Genesect that could surprise people. Short summary of that - it does.
Team Building Summary:
- So I started out with my scarf Zapdos. It was faster than Genesect and has access to Heat Wave. Simple.
- As Zapdos had access to Volt Switch I thought Volt-turn would be fun. So I added Scizor, who also covers Zapdos' two weaknesses
- I next added Vaporeon. Always wanted to try one and appeared to have fairly good defensive synergy with the other two.
- I wanted to add to my Volt-Turn core. I looked at potential other users and settled on Mienshao. I'm also a fan of Infernape but I decided to go with Mienshao this time (more on why later).
- I also like having an FWG core if possible and I like to have a grass type attack as back-up to hit grass-types with. I'm looking at you Gastrodon and co. I normally would go for Breloom but as I have a fighting type and no hazards I decided to go for Roserade. Ferrothorn was another option but I didn't want another x4 fire weakness.
- As my team was made for Zapdos and it has an SR weakness I thought I needed a spinner. Starmie is my spinner of choice.
- Celebi does pretty much all the same things Roserade did and outclasses it so in came Celebi for Roserade.
So that's how I got the team!
The Team
Zapdos @Leftovers
Pressure
248HP/76Def/184Sp.D
2Atk/30Def
Timid nature
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- HP Ice
- Thunderbolt
As I said in the intro the purpose of using scarf Zapdos was to be my answer to Genesect. At 100 base speed it outsped Genesect by a point and would OHKO with Heat-Wave. I know Thundurus-t is another option to this set but I do like having bolt-beam and heat wave. I think it gives me very good coverage. Zapdos also outspeeds Gyarados and D-nite after one DD and will outspeed and OHKO Gyarados with T-bolt and KO Dragonite with HP Ice if the Dragonite is not at full health. I'm slightly hurt there by the lack of SR support. Now Geneseect is banned I'm tempted to try Thundurus-t but I think I'd like a fire type move in here somewhere. The attack spread on Zapdos also allows me to check rain teams and the grass component of sun teams. The STAB bolt-beam combo also deals with the Therians unless they're running scarf. It also functions as a nice revenge killer.
Scarf-dos is dead, long live Scarf-dos. As I originally used Scarf-dos to counter Genesect I'm not bothered about removing the scarf. And not being trapped into a move helps for obvious reasons. I've changed my Zapdos following the suggestions from trinitrotoluene and the extra bulk and roost is really useful. I've lost a VoltTurn here but I gain one back with other changes so I'm happy. The moves haven't changed much so Zapdos still has great coverage. In not having any speed investment a Sub+DD Gyarados could now be an issue. Need to think about how to deal with that.
Scizor @Choice Band
Technician
248HP/252Atk/8Spe
Adamant nature
- U-Turn
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
When I decided to use Zapdos I originally wanted to try to use a bit of a Volt-turn strategy. I didn't want to use Genesect and Scizor sprang to mind. I went with the standard Band set and it does it's job. It covers Zapdos' weaknesses well, hits hard, revenge kills and keeps the momentum going. Basically I use it for the same reasons most people cite for using it. I stuck 8 EV's into speed to allow it to (hopefully) outspeed other Scizors.
Vaporeon @Leftovers
Water Absorb
252HP/252Def/4Sp.D
Bold nature
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
I'd never used a Vaporeon before and I wanted to try it out. I like it a lot. I wasn't sure what to use in the 4th slot but Toxic does the job nicely. Other options were Roar and Ice Beam (see the analysis :p) but Topxic helps and it stops me being completely walled by a Jellicent. I knew I wanted to try Wish support because my team would appreciate it. Scald for the potential burn to give me dual status. Vaporeon is also my only answer to Terrakion but it's still a 2HKO and coupled with Scizor/Zapdos/Starmie helps me deal with Garchomp. I couldn't use Chansey/Blissey as wish support because Terrakion would just rip me to shreds. As for EV's I just maxed HP and Def to give me as much bulk as possible.
Mienshao @Choice Scarf
Regenerator
4HP/252Atk/252Spe
Naive nature
- U-Turn
- Hidden Power: Ice
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
My 2nd UU poke is the next and final member of my Volt-Turn core. This guy is essentially the reason I'm not running a FWG core too because this is the place that I feel is up for grabs for the fire type poke. I chose Mienshao over Infernape because of the simple reason that I wanted to try something different. Also, if I used Infernape I normally like to make it Scarf because it's an ideal counter to Sun teams IMO.Life Orb w/ regenerator works really nicely tooAs Zapdos isn't scarfed anymore Mienshao has been scarfed to become my revenge killer. It's not the fastest but so far so good. I used Drain Punch because I'm a wuss and am scared of a HJK miss (changed to HJK following a suggestion. Still scared of the miss). Stone Edge provides me coverage I'm otherwise missing. Fake Out to add some priority but if I'm honest I'm underwhelmed by it. Overall maybe I should give Infernape a try, especially if I change Zapdos to Thundurus-t, then I'll just have to deal w/ 4MSS on Infernape. HP Ice for Fake Out as Mienshao is now scarfed.
Celebi @Leftovers
Natural Cure
252HP/232Sp.D/24Spe
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Stealth Rock
- U-Turn
Celebi in for Roserade. An apparently glaringly obvious change. I spotted it and so did trinitrotoluene. Thanks to him/her for the set though. I wouldn't have known what to run. Celebi does everything Roserade did - it has natural cure, access to hazards (SR over Spikes, which is much better), a recovery move and it's a grass type. It doesn't absorb toxic spikes like Roserade did but that's not that much of an issue as I still have a spinner. Celebi has overall better bulk but doesn't hit as hard as Roserade, but it does have U-Turn and this is a largely VoltTurn team so all in all Celebi fits nicely and I'm pleased with it.
OLD TEAM MEMBER
Roserade @Black Sludge
Natural Cure
4HP/252Sp.A/252 Spe
Timid nature
- Leaf Storm
- Rest
- Spikes
- Sludge Bomb
Another UU poke?? Yes it is but I feel that Roserade provides several good functions for me. It's my first status-absorber, my toxic spikes absorber, my only hazard setter, has a monstrous grass-type attack with Leaf Storm and what would be the G in my desired FWG core. I'd have preferred stealth rocks but I settled for spikes. That's a slight shame because SR would be a massive boost versus Dragonite. Roserade is relatively fast which is also useful and also has some good resistances. I've wondered if Celebi would be good here but as of yet I'm undecided. Thoughts are most welcome.
Starmie @Leftovers
Natural Cure
4HP/252Sp.A/252Spe
Timid nature
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
My required spinner. I felt that in running Zapdos I needed a spinner. 25% health loss each time it switches in is not cool. So Starmie is my spinner of choice. I like it's speed. It has nice coverage, although similar to Zapdos. Tentacruel didn't seem worthwhile because I already have a water type status spreader and I'm not really too much of a fan of Donphan. It's a tough one for me and at the moment Starmie just seems like the best fit. Dropping one of it's coverage moves to put in Psychic/Psyshoch is definitely an option though.
So that's my team. Please let me know what you think. It is UU heavy but I feel that the UU pokes generally are good options for the roles that I have chosen them for.
Known Threats
Updated team following trinitrotoluenes rate. Changes in red
First point to note: I'm still quite new to competitive battling. Having said that I put quite a lot of thought in to this team and think I have something that seems to be going OK. The team has had moderate success but maybe it could be better if I was a better player!
Second point: I first made this team before the genesect ban.
Third point: I saw someone else using a scarf Zapdos and I thought that it looked like a fun check/counter Genesect that could surprise people. Short summary of that - it does.
Team Building Summary:
- So I started out with my scarf Zapdos. It was faster than Genesect and has access to Heat Wave. Simple.
- As Zapdos had access to Volt Switch I thought Volt-turn would be fun. So I added Scizor, who also covers Zapdos' two weaknesses
- I next added Vaporeon. Always wanted to try one and appeared to have fairly good defensive synergy with the other two.
- I wanted to add to my Volt-Turn core. I looked at potential other users and settled on Mienshao. I'm also a fan of Infernape but I decided to go with Mienshao this time (more on why later).
- I also like having an FWG core if possible and I like to have a grass type attack as back-up to hit grass-types with. I'm looking at you Gastrodon and co. I normally would go for Breloom but as I have a fighting type and no hazards I decided to go for Roserade. Ferrothorn was another option but I didn't want another x4 fire weakness.
- As my team was made for Zapdos and it has an SR weakness I thought I needed a spinner. Starmie is my spinner of choice.
- Celebi does pretty much all the same things Roserade did and outclasses it so in came Celebi for Roserade.
So that's how I got the team!
The Team
Zapdos @Leftovers
Pressure
248HP/76Def/184Sp.D
2Atk/30Def
Timid nature
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- HP Ice
- Thunderbolt
Scarf-dos is dead, long live Scarf-dos. As I originally used Scarf-dos to counter Genesect I'm not bothered about removing the scarf. And not being trapped into a move helps for obvious reasons. I've changed my Zapdos following the suggestions from trinitrotoluene and the extra bulk and roost is really useful. I've lost a VoltTurn here but I gain one back with other changes so I'm happy. The moves haven't changed much so Zapdos still has great coverage. In not having any speed investment a Sub+DD Gyarados could now be an issue. Need to think about how to deal with that.
Scizor @Choice Band
Technician
248HP/252Atk/8Spe
Adamant nature
- U-Turn
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
When I decided to use Zapdos I originally wanted to try to use a bit of a Volt-turn strategy. I didn't want to use Genesect and Scizor sprang to mind. I went with the standard Band set and it does it's job. It covers Zapdos' weaknesses well, hits hard, revenge kills and keeps the momentum going. Basically I use it for the same reasons most people cite for using it. I stuck 8 EV's into speed to allow it to (hopefully) outspeed other Scizors.
Vaporeon @Leftovers
Water Absorb
252HP/252Def/4Sp.D
Bold nature
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
I'd never used a Vaporeon before and I wanted to try it out. I like it a lot. I wasn't sure what to use in the 4th slot but Toxic does the job nicely. Other options were Roar and Ice Beam (see the analysis :p) but Topxic helps and it stops me being completely walled by a Jellicent. I knew I wanted to try Wish support because my team would appreciate it. Scald for the potential burn to give me dual status. Vaporeon is also my only answer to Terrakion but it's still a 2HKO and coupled with Scizor/Zapdos/Starmie helps me deal with Garchomp. I couldn't use Chansey/Blissey as wish support because Terrakion would just rip me to shreds. As for EV's I just maxed HP and Def to give me as much bulk as possible.
Mienshao @Choice Scarf
Regenerator
4HP/252Atk/252Spe
Naive nature
- U-Turn
- Hidden Power: Ice
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
My 2nd UU poke is the next and final member of my Volt-Turn core. This guy is essentially the reason I'm not running a FWG core too because this is the place that I feel is up for grabs for the fire type poke. I chose Mienshao over Infernape because of the simple reason that I wanted to try something different. Also, if I used Infernape I normally like to make it Scarf because it's an ideal counter to Sun teams IMO.
Celebi @Leftovers
Natural Cure
252HP/232Sp.D/24Spe
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Stealth Rock
- U-Turn
Celebi in for Roserade. An apparently glaringly obvious change. I spotted it and so did trinitrotoluene. Thanks to him/her for the set though. I wouldn't have known what to run. Celebi does everything Roserade did - it has natural cure, access to hazards (SR over Spikes, which is much better), a recovery move and it's a grass type. It doesn't absorb toxic spikes like Roserade did but that's not that much of an issue as I still have a spinner. Celebi has overall better bulk but doesn't hit as hard as Roserade, but it does have U-Turn and this is a largely VoltTurn team so all in all Celebi fits nicely and I'm pleased with it.
OLD TEAM MEMBER
Roserade @Black Sludge
Natural Cure
4HP/252Sp.A/252 Spe
Timid nature
- Leaf Storm
- Rest
- Spikes
- Sludge Bomb
Another UU poke?? Yes it is but I feel that Roserade provides several good functions for me. It's my first status-absorber, my toxic spikes absorber, my only hazard setter, has a monstrous grass-type attack with Leaf Storm and what would be the G in my desired FWG core. I'd have preferred stealth rocks but I settled for spikes. That's a slight shame because SR would be a massive boost versus Dragonite. Roserade is relatively fast which is also useful and also has some good resistances. I've wondered if Celebi would be good here but as of yet I'm undecided. Thoughts are most welcome.
Starmie @Leftovers
Natural Cure
4HP/252Sp.A/252Spe
Timid nature
- Rapid Spin
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
My required spinner. I felt that in running Zapdos I needed a spinner. 25% health loss each time it switches in is not cool. So Starmie is my spinner of choice. I like it's speed. It has nice coverage, although similar to Zapdos. Tentacruel didn't seem worthwhile because I already have a water type status spreader and I'm not really too much of a fan of Donphan. It's a tough one for me and at the moment Starmie just seems like the best fit. Dropping one of it's coverage moves to put in Psychic/Psyshoch is definitely an option though.
So that's my team. Please let me know what you think. It is UU heavy but I feel that the UU pokes generally are good options for the roles that I have chosen them for.
Known Threats
- I've tried to cover most of the top used threats in the OU tier and I think I've done an OK job. Terrakion appears to me to be my biggest issue and I think Keldeo has potential to be an issue.
- Surprisingly a Jolteon is a pain in the neck. It's faster than a lot of my team and I don't have Earthquake(gasp! must be a noob) anywhere to hit it for SE damage. - Scarf Mienshao will hopefully help here!
- I think Heatran could be bothersome because of the same reason but I'd like to think I've got it covered with Mienshao, Starmie and maybe even Vaporeon.
- I have had issues with a Sun team but I think I would have fared better if I didn't have heat wave and stone edge misses at vital points in the game. - With extra bulk to Zapdos I'm a little better equiped now but still a threat.
- Volcarona is an issue. If it starts boosting and Mienshao is down/slower I am in serious trouble.
- With the changes I think Sub+DD Gyarados could be an issue. Yet to face one so can't confirm.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 SDef
Calm Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Heat Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost
Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 HP / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Celebi @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 232 SDef / 252 HP / 24 Spd
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 SDef
Calm Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Heat Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost
Scizor @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 HP / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Wish
- Protect
- Toxic
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Celebi @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 232 SDef / 252 HP / 24 Spd
Calm Nature
- Giga Drain
- Recover
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
Starmie @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
- Thunderbolt
- Hydro Pump