Hey everyone! Welcome to my first ever Rate my Team! I've been playing on simulators since about half way through 5th gen, but haven't tried to break into the realm of Smogonia until just recently. This team is, well, a UU team. When it comes to my teambuilding, I have a tough time determining if a team has good synergy, and as a result, my teams usually fall flat. I feel that this team is working for me and has brought me some success on the UU ladder. Any advice that you can give would be wonderful! :)
So, here is...
THE TEAM
Beautiful, huh?
Celebi @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Seed Bomb
- Zen Headbutt
- Sucker Punch
I'm going to start off with this Celebi, because it's the mon on this team that I feel needs the most help. This Celebi is kind of gimmicky, but catches some players off guard. I'll come in with it, forcing a switch, set up a SD, and then attempt to sweep. After a +2, Sucker Punch is an OHKO on Chandelure, Azelf, and other Celebi, and puts a nice dent into Metagross (save for when it uses bullet punch). The dual stab is dual stab. Kinda fun, but doesn't work out as much as I would hope. Feel free to suggest other sets or pokes entirely.
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 56 Atk / 220 SpA / 232 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Iron Tail
- Superpower
This Hydreigon is also pretty gimmicky, but I've had a lot more success with it than I had Celebi. This thing has pretty fantastic coverage, hitting neutral (and pretty hard) on most everything. Dark Pulse and Draco are pretty much givens on this monster. Iron Tail is for fairies switching in, and Superpower is for the likes of the fat normals like Blissey and Porygon-2, as well as predicting switches on other hydreigon and darks. This thing is forced out by the scarfed dragons in the tier, but it can take most anything else when playing conservatively.
Lucario @ Focus Sash
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Extreme Speed
Lucario puts in work on this team. With a focus sash, he can set up SD and clean up with Extreme Speed late game, or can be used early on to punch holes in the other team. Close Combat for power, Crunch for psychics and ghosts, and Extreme Speed for priority. I feel like this set has worked well for me.
Chandelure @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
- Memento
Scarfed Chandelure is Scarfed Chandelure. Fire Blast and Shadow Ball to deal some damage and net some handy KO's, Trick can cripple walls by giving them a Choice Scarf and forcing switches, and Memento is nice for when you're planning to sack Chandelure, giving Lucario or Celebi a chance to come in and set up afterwards.
Forretress @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 92 Def / 164 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
Now onto the defensive core, starting with Forretress. This walnut is really good at taking physical hits. This tends to be my lead in order to set up early hazards. Forretress removes hazards, too, which is always nice. After being stopped dead in my tracks by one too many Swamperts switching into my Volt Switch, I'm going to put either Earthquake or Gyro Ball on this thing instead. Fully invested in HP for maximum bulk, and since its defense is already pretty high, I put some investment on the special side to give it a little more lasting power. The residual damage from Rocky Helmet adds up over time, which is nice. Leftovers would also be good to occasionally reestablish Sturdy.
Blissey (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
- Seismic Toss
This fatty sponges up all kinds of special attacks and some leftover gravy. Blissey can just stall out most other walls, which helps the other team members sweep. Toxic something (unless it's Steel type), then use a combination of the other three moves to wait it out. Bulk is invested on both the special and physical sides to prevent an even more ridiculous amount of recovery from Leech Seed.
THE END
Thanks for reading, if you've made it this far! I realize that this team has quite a few problems in its weakness to fighting and has trouble breaking through steels. Like I said before, any suggestions/constructive criticisms/help would be great!
So, here is...
THE TEAM
Beautiful, huh?
Celebi @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Seed Bomb
- Zen Headbutt
- Sucker Punch
I'm going to start off with this Celebi, because it's the mon on this team that I feel needs the most help. This Celebi is kind of gimmicky, but catches some players off guard. I'll come in with it, forcing a switch, set up a SD, and then attempt to sweep. After a +2, Sucker Punch is an OHKO on Chandelure, Azelf, and other Celebi, and puts a nice dent into Metagross (save for when it uses bullet punch). The dual stab is dual stab. Kinda fun, but doesn't work out as much as I would hope. Feel free to suggest other sets or pokes entirely.
Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 56 Atk / 220 SpA / 232 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Iron Tail
- Superpower
This Hydreigon is also pretty gimmicky, but I've had a lot more success with it than I had Celebi. This thing has pretty fantastic coverage, hitting neutral (and pretty hard) on most everything. Dark Pulse and Draco are pretty much givens on this monster. Iron Tail is for fairies switching in, and Superpower is for the likes of the fat normals like Blissey and Porygon-2, as well as predicting switches on other hydreigon and darks. This thing is forced out by the scarfed dragons in the tier, but it can take most anything else when playing conservatively.
Lucario @ Focus Sash
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Extreme Speed
Lucario puts in work on this team. With a focus sash, he can set up SD and clean up with Extreme Speed late game, or can be used early on to punch holes in the other team. Close Combat for power, Crunch for psychics and ghosts, and Extreme Speed for priority. I feel like this set has worked well for me.
Chandelure @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
- Memento
Scarfed Chandelure is Scarfed Chandelure. Fire Blast and Shadow Ball to deal some damage and net some handy KO's, Trick can cripple walls by giving them a Choice Scarf and forcing switches, and Memento is nice for when you're planning to sack Chandelure, giving Lucario or Celebi a chance to come in and set up afterwards.
Forretress @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 92 Def / 164 SpD
Bold Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
Now onto the defensive core, starting with Forretress. This walnut is really good at taking physical hits. This tends to be my lead in order to set up early hazards. Forretress removes hazards, too, which is always nice. After being stopped dead in my tracks by one too many Swamperts switching into my Volt Switch, I'm going to put either Earthquake or Gyro Ball on this thing instead. Fully invested in HP for maximum bulk, and since its defense is already pretty high, I put some investment on the special side to give it a little more lasting power. The residual damage from Rocky Helmet adds up over time, which is nice. Leftovers would also be good to occasionally reestablish Sturdy.
Blissey (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
- Soft-Boiled
- Toxic
- Heal Bell
- Seismic Toss
This fatty sponges up all kinds of special attacks and some leftover gravy. Blissey can just stall out most other walls, which helps the other team members sweep. Toxic something (unless it's Steel type), then use a combination of the other three moves to wait it out. Bulk is invested on both the special and physical sides to prevent an even more ridiculous amount of recovery from Leech Seed.
THE END
Thanks for reading, if you've made it this far! I realize that this team has quite a few problems in its weakness to fighting and has trouble breaking through steels. Like I said before, any suggestions/constructive criticisms/help would be great!