Hi, my name is Kyoquadon, and my team helped me climbed from the 5000th place on the ladder to 458/47988. I would hope to share this team with others, as well as receive feedback on how to make it better, so please advise well, and thanks for reading :)
Teambuilding:
I started off with the base of the team with Gorebyss and Espeon as I loved how the two worked well with each other. Huntail was the other natural candidate that came to mind as a second Smash passer, as he was almost identical to Gorebyss, giving my team 2 chances to pass on Smash pass. I then chose my other 2 Smash pass recipients, along with my lead, Deoxys-S.
I realised later that I wanted a recipient that could use both ATK and sp. ATK boosts to fully abuse Shell Smash, as well as to prevent getting walled by physical walls. Hence, I replaced Heracross with Zapdos which has access to Drill Peck and Roost, and can also switch in on Earthquakes and Lightning attacks when Baton Passed to.
I then discovered that having two identical Shell Smashes became more of a liability and would only help the opponent to sweep faster. Hence, I switched Huntail for a Smeargle which would be a different kind of Shell Smasher in my team. Hence, this is the final lineup of my team.
The Team
Deoxys-S @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Psycho Boost
- Magic Coat
- Taunt
Deoxys-S's main role is a suicide lead in setting up Stealth Rock, as well as Taunting opposing leads to prevent them from phazing or crippling my Smashers with status moves. With Stealth Rock up, all Focus Sash carriers and Sturdy users will be disabled and allow for my sweepers to not get killed by them. Psycho Boost is a personal preference because I hate Machamp leads with a passion, and also deals with the likes of MienShao and Breloom leads. Having a Timid nature allows it to either outrun or speed-tie opposing Deoxy-S as well as some choice scarfers.
Gorebyss (F) @ White Herb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 HP/24 SpD/252 Spe
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Shell Smash
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Surf
Gorebyss is my first Smasher. The EVs allow her to survive most unboosted hits, especially from lead Pokemon on the switch in after Deoxys-S dies, and therefore allowing her to setup at least one Shell Smash. Substitute can be used to scout for moves to decide which recipient to pass to, as well as gain a free sub if they use status moves. White Herb allows my recipients to be a bit more bulky on the switch in and allowing them to survive hits better.
Smeragle (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own tempo
EVs: 4 HP/252 HP/252 Spd
Jolly nature (-Atk, +Spe)
- Spore
- Shell Smash
- Baton Pass
- Substitute
Smeargle is my second Smasher. Gorebyss is susceptible to hard hitting opposing Pokemon that can finish her off with a priority move before she can Baton Pass, so Smeargle's purpose is to come in after Deoxys-S dies and Spore instantly, shutting down the Priority move user, and begin SmashPassing. However, it is highly dependent on Focus Sash, so it doesn't function as well as Gorebyss in Sandstorms or if Stealth Rock is already out.
Espeon (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP/4 SpA/252 Spe
Modest nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Stored Power
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power (Fighting)
- Baton Pass
My first key recipient. Magic Bounce is a wonderful ability that works in tandem with Shell Smash, as it prevents all phazing moves like Roar and Whirlwind, allowing it to keep it's boosts, and also making it immune to crippling status moves. It's EVs with leftovers allow it survive most hits on the switch in and hit back hard with Stored Power, which has a base power of 140 after one Smash Pass. Hidden Power Fighting helps Espeon 2HKO Ferrothorn and Tyranitar after one Smash boost, assuming that the opponent switches in Tyranitar after seeing Espeon. Shadow Ball will allow it outrun and OHKO Choice Scarf Latios and beat Reuniclus.
Dragonite (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Lonely nature (+Atk, -SDef)
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Flamethrower
- ExtremeSpeed
Multiscale is an amazing ability because with it Dragonite can come in almost any attack and be guaranteed to survive, allowing it to start sweeping with its Smash boost. Leftovers allow it shrug off residual damage and hopefully allow Multiscale to take effect again. The moveset has excellent coverage, with Extremespeed having a +2 priority to outspeed all other priority moves and hit for decent damage, as well as Focus sashes and Sturdy users. Flamethrower is there to use Dragonite's decent SpA and also deal with physical walls such as Ferrothorn, and is chosen over Fire Blast for better accuracy to sweep. Gliscor can be troublesome, but can be 2OHKOed by Dragon Claw as Dragonite has an Attack stat of 806 after a Smash boost.
Zapdos (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Mild nature (+SpA, -Def)
- Thunderbolt
- Drill Peck
- Hidden Power (Ice)
- Roost
Zapdos was a choice that worked for me, although until now I still find it somewhat unsettling. It reaches 596 Speed and 766 SpA after one smash boost, which allows it to outrun Scarfers and hit hard together with Life Orb. Drill peck is a good STAB physical move to use it's decent Attack stat to hit special walls, and Roost allows it to heal off Life Orb damage. It's typing and ability allows it to resist Mach Punch, Bullet Punch and make it immune to Ground and Electric Moves. Best scenario happens when Gorebyss switches out to Zapdos, allowing Zapdos to absorb the electric attack and ending up with a +2, +3, +2.
--To be completed!
+Potential Threats
Teambuilding:
I started off with the base of the team with Gorebyss and Espeon as I loved how the two worked well with each other. Huntail was the other natural candidate that came to mind as a second Smash passer, as he was almost identical to Gorebyss, giving my team 2 chances to pass on Smash pass. I then chose my other 2 Smash pass recipients, along with my lead, Deoxys-S.
I realised later that I wanted a recipient that could use both ATK and sp. ATK boosts to fully abuse Shell Smash, as well as to prevent getting walled by physical walls. Hence, I replaced Heracross with Zapdos which has access to Drill Peck and Roost, and can also switch in on Earthquakes and Lightning attacks when Baton Passed to.
I then discovered that having two identical Shell Smashes became more of a liability and would only help the opponent to sweep faster. Hence, I switched Huntail for a Smeargle which would be a different kind of Shell Smasher in my team. Hence, this is the final lineup of my team.
The Team
Deoxys-S @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Psycho Boost
- Magic Coat
- Taunt
Deoxys-S's main role is a suicide lead in setting up Stealth Rock, as well as Taunting opposing leads to prevent them from phazing or crippling my Smashers with status moves. With Stealth Rock up, all Focus Sash carriers and Sturdy users will be disabled and allow for my sweepers to not get killed by them. Psycho Boost is a personal preference because I hate Machamp leads with a passion, and also deals with the likes of MienShao and Breloom leads. Having a Timid nature allows it to either outrun or speed-tie opposing Deoxy-S as well as some choice scarfers.
Gorebyss (F) @ White Herb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 HP/24 SpD/252 Spe
Timid nature (+Spe, -Atk)
- Shell Smash
- Substitute
- Baton Pass
- Surf
Gorebyss is my first Smasher. The EVs allow her to survive most unboosted hits, especially from lead Pokemon on the switch in after Deoxys-S dies, and therefore allowing her to setup at least one Shell Smash. Substitute can be used to scout for moves to decide which recipient to pass to, as well as gain a free sub if they use status moves. White Herb allows my recipients to be a bit more bulky on the switch in and allowing them to survive hits better.
Smeragle (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own tempo
EVs: 4 HP/252 HP/252 Spd
Jolly nature (-Atk, +Spe)
- Spore
- Shell Smash
- Baton Pass
- Substitute
Smeargle is my second Smasher. Gorebyss is susceptible to hard hitting opposing Pokemon that can finish her off with a priority move before she can Baton Pass, so Smeargle's purpose is to come in after Deoxys-S dies and Spore instantly, shutting down the Priority move user, and begin SmashPassing. However, it is highly dependent on Focus Sash, so it doesn't function as well as Gorebyss in Sandstorms or if Stealth Rock is already out.
Espeon (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP/4 SpA/252 Spe
Modest nature (+SpA, -Atk)
- Stored Power
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power (Fighting)
- Baton Pass
My first key recipient. Magic Bounce is a wonderful ability that works in tandem with Shell Smash, as it prevents all phazing moves like Roar and Whirlwind, allowing it to keep it's boosts, and also making it immune to crippling status moves. It's EVs with leftovers allow it survive most hits on the switch in and hit back hard with Stored Power, which has a base power of 140 after one Smash Pass. Hidden Power Fighting helps Espeon 2HKO Ferrothorn and Tyranitar after one Smash boost, assuming that the opponent switches in Tyranitar after seeing Espeon. Shadow Ball will allow it outrun and OHKO Choice Scarf Latios and beat Reuniclus.
Dragonite (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spe
Lonely nature (+Atk, -SDef)
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Flamethrower
- ExtremeSpeed
Multiscale is an amazing ability because with it Dragonite can come in almost any attack and be guaranteed to survive, allowing it to start sweeping with its Smash boost. Leftovers allow it shrug off residual damage and hopefully allow Multiscale to take effect again. The moveset has excellent coverage, with Extremespeed having a +2 priority to outspeed all other priority moves and hit for decent damage, as well as Focus sashes and Sturdy users. Flamethrower is there to use Dragonite's decent SpA and also deal with physical walls such as Ferrothorn, and is chosen over Fire Blast for better accuracy to sweep. Gliscor can be troublesome, but can be 2OHKOed by Dragon Claw as Dragonite has an Attack stat of 806 after a Smash boost.
Zapdos (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 4 HP/252 SpA/252 Spe
Mild nature (+SpA, -Def)
- Thunderbolt
- Drill Peck
- Hidden Power (Ice)
- Roost
Zapdos was a choice that worked for me, although until now I still find it somewhat unsettling. It reaches 596 Speed and 766 SpA after one smash boost, which allows it to outrun Scarfers and hit hard together with Life Orb. Drill peck is a good STAB physical move to use it's decent Attack stat to hit special walls, and Roost allows it to heal off Life Orb damage. It's typing and ability allows it to resist Mach Punch, Bullet Punch and make it immune to Ground and Electric Moves. Best scenario happens when Gorebyss switches out to Zapdos, allowing Zapdos to absorb the electric attack and ending up with a +2, +3, +2.
--To be completed!
+Potential Threats
