Other Metagames (SS AG) Rate My Team

Kaiser747898

Kaiser747898

Also I'm pretty sure it's been 2 weeks, but I'm not too sure.

Foreword (Not part of the actual RMT)
Last time I built a team, I was pretty dumb, so my team didn't have a core, or anything a team should have. Instead, all my Pokemon functioned by themselves. After 2 weeks, I finally made a new team with an actual core! Or something like that. I do think my team is much better than the previous one, but I still think there's room for improvement.

Team Building Process (I don't know how to post pictures in RMTs lol)
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I started off with Groudon, since I had made a team with Kyogre before. I decided to give him the role of Dynamax sweeper, since it had incredible attack and with a Max Airstream plus maximum investment in speed, it could outspeed unboosted Calyrex-S.
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Then, I added Ho-Oh to the team. It's role was the pivot. Thanks to it's great Regenerator ability and it's decent bulk, plus a great support movepool, it could function well as a pivot. The added buff to Sacred Fire from Groudon's Drought was nice too, although it probably wouldn't see much use like that, because of how I was using Groudon.
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Now that my pivot was chosen, I needed a breaker, so that my Groudon could sweep all in it's path. Defensive Zygarde-C could easily tank Groudon's hits, paralyze it with Glare, then switch me out with Dragon Tail, after Dynamax,removing my stat boosts. Zacian-C could heavily damage Zygarde-C, making it not a threat.Necrozma-DM was also a big problem, but Zacian-C could easily lure it out and heavily damage it too. A great breaker for my Groudon.
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After that, I added Yveltal as my second breaker. This choice might seem odd, but because of the prominent Calyrex-S threatening my Groudon with it's high SpAtk, Yveltal was incredibly useful. In addition, Lunala with Shadow Shield could take a hit from Groudon, then Toxic or Will-O-Wisp it. Therefore, Yveltal was vital in this team.
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I needed a clean-up Pokemon, just to clear up the stragglers from Groudon, if there were any. I decided to go with Naganadel. Naganadel had incredible SpATK and incredible Speed, and with Choice Specs plus Beast Boost, it could destroy anything that was already weakened with it's powerful moves.
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Finally, was the lead. I decided to go with a Pokemon that could put the opponent to sleep, instead of the usual hazard setter. My team had Defog instead of Rapid Spin, so if the enemy lay down any hazards, my hazards would be cleared away too. So, I went with Tangrowth. Now you might be thinking, "Why not Amoonguss?", Well, the answer was in their stat spread. Both had Regenerator, which formed a defensive core with Ho-Oh, but Tangrowth had much better stats, not just in pure BST, but in the stats I wanted. Since it was going to be switching with Ho-Oh alot, the high defense paired with Ho-Oh's high SpDef let them help each other. Grass/Poison was also a horrible typing.
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Team:
Groudon @ Life Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Precipice Blades
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace

Just a standard Dynamax Groudon sweeper set. Swords Dance boosted it's attack to insane levels, easily breaking through Pokemon that took neutral damage. Precipice Blades was a strong STAB move, and Dynamax made it have more Special bulk. Stone Edge summoned Sandstorm, making Focus Sashers and Lunala with Shadow Shield useless. Aerial Ace increased my Speed when Dynamaxed, and paired with max Speed investment made me outspeed unboosted pokemon. Life Orb gave Groudon even more damage, making it a massive destructive force.

Ho-Oh @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Toxic
- Defog
- Whirlwind

Ho-Oh was my pivot. Sacred Fire dealt massive damage, and the burn was an added bonus. Toxic set a timer on set up Pokemon, forcing them to switch out periodically or die. Defog was used to remove hazards, which heavily crippled my team, especially Sticky Web. Whirlwind was used for set-up mons, but I might switch it out for Thunder Wave. It's amazing ability in Regenerator made it consistent, and paired with it's defensive EVs let it survive a lot. Heavy-Duty Boots stopped it from being crippled by hazards itself.

Zacian-Crowned @ Rusted Sword
Ability: Intrepid Sword
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Behemoth Blade
- Wild Charge
- Close Combat
- Assurance

My breaker. Behemoth Blade was a must against pesky Fairy types and Dynamaxed Pokemon. Wild Charge is a iffy move, I might switch it out for Play Rough. Close Combat dealt heavy damage to Steel types, which could wall it. Assurance is used against Necrozma-DM to make it fall into KO range from Close Comabt. An Adamant nature paired with 1.5 ATK plus 252 ATK EVs made it do incredible damage, and the speed EVs were necessary. Rusted Sword is mandatory.

Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Dual Wingbeat
- Sucker Punch
- Roost

My other breaker. Knock Off could cripple opposing Pokemon that needed their items. Dual Wingbeat dealt good damage, and could also break substitute. Sucker Punch could be used to take out Pokemon at low health that might threaten to faint Yveltal. Roost gave Yveltal sustainability. Life Orb provided extra damage that was incredibly useful. My EV spread was specifically tailored to take on Calyrex-S and Lunala, because of their low Defense.

Naganadel @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dragon Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse

My clean-up Pokemon. Dragon Pulse dealt heavy damage without risking the SpATK lower, and Sludge Bomb had a higher chance to poison, even if it did slightly less damage than Sludge Wave. Fire Blast was a powerful move, and Dark Pulse had a nice chance to flinch. I would choose my moves based on what Pokemon the opponent has left. Max Speed and SpAtk EVs make it do heavy damage while outspeeding, and Choice Specs ensured the KO.

Tangrowth @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Powder

My lead. Giga Drain gave it sustain, which paired with Regenarator let it constantly put the opponent to sleep. Knock Off cripple Pokemon that needed their items. Sludge Bomb is powerful, but I might switch it out for something else. Sleep Powder put the opponent to sleep, letting my Breakers switch in to deal damage, or force a switch. Regenerator heals Tangrowth when he switches, letting it form a defensive core with Ho-Oh. Rocky Helmet punishes Physical attackers, which was what it would usually face. The EVs make it incredibly tanky.

That's all. Please feel free to post improvements as harsh as you like. Thank you!
 
Hi! This team looks like 2/3 of it is extremely solid. Groudon and physical Yveltal pair neatly together as they heavily pressure their shared checks, so that cool offensive core is what I'm going to try to preserve here. Unfortunately, neither Naganadel or Tangrowth is particularly viable in AG, so I'm going to focus this rate on what options you have to replace them effectively.

:ss/naganadel: -> :ss/eternatus:
Eternatus @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Sitrus Berry / Black Sludge
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 160 SpD / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dynamax Cannon
- Flamethrower
- Recover
- Toxic
While having the same typing, Eternatus is strictly better than Naganadel thanks to its solid bulk and movepool, which work together to let it check Kyogre. Without this, I noticed that Choice Scarf Kyogre is an incredibly difficult matchup for this team, as you have no switch-ins to it and it basically claims a kill every time it comes in. Dynamax Cannon gives Eternatus a STAB option with which it can threaten stuff like Zygarde and Zekrom, while flamethrower provides invaluable coverage to pressure Steel-types like Ferrothorn, Necrozma-DM, and Zacian-C. Toxic allows Eternatus to put stuff like Yveltal and Ho-Oh on timers, preventing them from walling it indefinitely, while making it appreciably more difficult to switch stuff like Calyrex-S into it, as potential switch-ins risk being crippled by Toxic. The given EVs let Eternatus outspeed Adamant Marshadow and other Eternatus that have been crep for Adamant Marshadow while maximizing special bulk to handle Kyogre as reliably as possible.

Alternatively, you could run Kyurem-W here, to check Kyogre will still applying a reasonable amount of offensive pressure, although it would make Marshadow a bit harder to handle. If you do go down that path, here's a set. The EVs are chosen to make sure that it can beat Choice Specs Kyogre, as it's vital that White Kyurem outspeed it in order to avoid being 2hkoed after Stealth Rock.

:ss/kyurem-white:
Kyurem-White @ Utility Umbrella
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 40 SpA / 216 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sheer Cold
- Freeze-Dry
- Fusion Flare
- Roost

With the Kyogre matchup shored up, it's time to take a look at Tangrowth. Tangrowth has some fringe viability on a handful of weird bulkier teams but it's definitely not splashable at all, and this definitely isn't the sort of team where it fits well. The primary issue behind using Tangrowth on a team like this is that there's no good way to handle Zacian-C. Tangrowth can't switch in safely because it risks being 2hkoed, so the logical play of pivoting to Ho-Oh then switching back to Tangrowth looks like it'll work until your opponent predicts either switch, then you're in an awkward position since nothing on your team can revenge-kill Zacian-C, so you basically have to sack something to get tangrowth back in, which isn't a sustainable solution. To that end, I think it's extremely important that Tangrowth be replaced with something that can switch into Zacian-C a bit more reliably, while also providing Stealth Rock support, something which this team notably lacks.

:ss/tangrowth: -> :ss/necrozma-dusk-mane:
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Morning Sun
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Sunsteel Strike

This set can reliably switch into any Zacian-C set bar assurance with Stealth Rocks, and is pretty much the gold standard for checking Zacian-C in AG. It provides invaluable defensive utility, blanket checking a significant portion of the meta's physical attackers, and some of its special ones too. It also helps to give you vital counterplay to Xerneas, something that could otherwise set up and pretty much 6-0 your team with its Dynamax. With offensive threats like Zacian-C and Groudon, it's vital to have a Stealth Rock user on your team, so that you can break the random midgame sashes that characterize the AG ladder. In addition, it allows you to take advantage of Yveltal's tendency to click Knock Off a ton, potentially removing Heavy-Duty Boots from stuff like Ho-Oh or Yveltal, which Stealth Rock can allow you to exploit to whittle Defoggers down faster. Earthquake is chosen to threaten Zekrom, making it a little bit harder for it to find setup turns, while also hitting Zacian-C and opposing Necrozma-DM harder. If Zekrom isn't an issue for you, you could try running Knock Off instead so that you can neuter stuff like opposing Rocky Helmet Necrozma-DM to make it easier for your Zacian-C to break through.

Hopefully this rate helps, and good luck in your future AG explorations.
:groudon::ho-oh::zacian-crowned::yveltal::eternatus::necrozma-dusk-mane:
Click the sprites for an importable!

e: also you can put sprites in your posts with :ss/mon: for the big animated ones or :mon: for the little minisprites.
 
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Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to go much of these changes. The main problem I have with this team is that it isn't what I want it to do anymore. Considering how popular Kyogre is in the current metagame, if I have Eternatus as Kyogre's main check, then I lose my clean-up Pokemon. That means that if my Groudon gets fainted, I basically have nothing to deal with the remaining Pokemon. Ho-Oh will most likely be alive, but with it's only move being Sacred Fire, there's not much it can KO. Instead, I'm going to run a Scarf Eternatus with Max Speed and SpATK EVs and 4 in SpD with Dynamax Cannon for STAB, Flash Cannon for Ice types, Flamethrower for Steel types (Particularly Zacian-C and Necrozma-DM) and Sludge Bomb for STAB and Poison. That way, if I don't meet a Kyogre, Eternatus can still be a clean-up Pokemon, but if I do meet one, since it's scarf it'll be locked into a move that's most likely Water Spout, and with Eternatus's speed I can deal damage first and with my resistance to Water, I won't take much damage either.

As for Necrozma-DM, I understand that it is vital on every team. The thing is, I've seen it so many times that when I think of the Lion King, Necrozma-DM pops up in my mind. I'm just tired of seeing and using it over and over again on every single team I have. Tangrowth isn't as good, but the perks he provide are what I want.If I meet a Zacian-C, since my Tangrowth can tank a hit from it, I can Sleep Powder it and then switch out to Groudon or Eternatus. I don't need Stealth Rock support since my team has Defog, not Rapid Spin, so if the enemy sets up hazards, which they most likely will, my Stealth Rocks are gone too. The defensive backbone that is formed when I have Ho-Oh and Tangrowth is super important, as with them alive, I will always have an advantage over the enemy with sleep or poison, and if they set up,Ho-Oh's Whirlwind switches them out. I understand that my team isn't going to be as good, but I'm willing to risk that.

Still, thank you though for the things you posted. I have some new ideas for different Pokemon now. Thank you.
 
Just going to put a quick aside here:
A lot of your reasoning assumes the fact that you are always going to have the right Pokemon on the field at all times for whatever your opponent throws at you. Unfortunately, unless you are able to reliably predict every single one of your opponent's moves on every single turn this is never going to happen. (and in fact even if you do, as soon as you KO one of your opponents Pokemon they can send in one that takes advantage of what you have on the field). Most of the Pokemon/sets you've mentioned do in fact deter what they're supposed to check and can often win or put in work 1 on 1. However, that doesn't preclude the fact that if for example your opponent sends out Kyogre after Tangrowth kills something, if you switch Eternatus now you just get 2hkoed by Ice Beam (Water Spout does 50-59% damage to offensive Eternatus!), even if Kyogre is scarf. Additionally, Kyogre can just switch out into a teammate like Necrozma-Dusk-Mane (which can heal off anything Eternatus throws at it and threaten it back with sunsteel strike or earthquake), and now you have a severely weakened Eternatus that can no longer switch into Kyogre (meaning every time Kyogre enters the field it kills one of your Pokemon).
This is just one example of many interactions where your team would get broken down quite easily. The same goes for Zacian, as Tangrowth cannot switch into Zacian without being 2hkoed handily; in general, you need to make sure that your defensive Pokemon can reliably stop threats, at least for long enough to allow your offensive Pokemon opportunities to win the game.
 
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