Electivire (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Impish Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Cross Chop
This is my dedicated lead to counter every other dedicated lead. For starters, sleep inducing Prankster users are rampant in the metagame, especially during the first turns of a match, and a hard-hitting Electivire immune to sleep with a bevy of coverage moves is something most aren't prepared for. Whether it be Jumpluff, Whimsicott, or Sableye, Electivire is fully capable of ruining most of their standard sets. For the Water Spout Keldeo leads that I see often, the Focus Sash and perfect accuracy Fusion Bolt guarantee that I cripple Keldeo enough to either survive another Water Spout, outright kill it, or send in Sawsbuck to finish the job. The coverage moves are for the other leads that try to break the mold and throw me off guard, which just backfires when I KO with a coverage move.
Quagsire (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Yawn
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
With such ridiculous Baton Passing shenanigans in the metagame, such as Simple Shell Smash Bibarel, someone with Unaware is a necessity to keep them in check and force them to retaliate or be destroyed. Quagsire is my main man, with only one (albeit crippling) weakness and considerable bulk to survive, set up, and wreck shop. Yawn forces most active Pokemon to switch out or become useless for the rest of the match, giving Quagsire a turn or two to use Curse to bulk up and sweep away. The two STAB moves are used instead of the one to make sure I hit stat boosters of all kinds, which unfortunately means I have to circumvent Recover.
Sawsbuck (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
- Baton Pass
- Ingrain
- ExtremeSpeed
- Substitute
Once every threat is out of the way, Sawsbuck can come in and begin my own nightmarish Baton Pass chain. To get the choice of ability out of the way, Sap Sipper is there to handle any stray grass type who tries to use Spore to cripple me before I set up my Substitute (Chlorophyll is useless due to my lack of dependence on weather). Once I'm comfortably protected, I set up Ingrain to ensure Roar and Whirlwind or even the occasional Red Card can't break my chain, and ExtremeSpeed to pick off those attempting to break through my Substitute. Once everything is in place, I Baton Pass to Bibarel, where the real magic begins.
Bibarel (M) @ White Herb
Trait: Simple
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stockpile
- Baton Pass
- ExtremeSpeed
Yes, I use Simple Shell Smash Bibarel, but only because I admire the efficiency of this set. The Substitute really only matters for Bibarel to get off the only Shell Smash I bother to do, landing a staggering +4 offenses and a White Herb to eliminate the defense decrease. Then I use Stockpile to amplify my defenses, usually only twice to save time. ExtremeSpeed is for the occasion that my Substitute is broken and I need a way to destroy a Taunt or Encore user I wasn't expecting. Once I'm satisfied with my stats, I baton pass to one of two people, depending on what I want to do.
Ursaring (M) @ Flame Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP
Jolly Nature
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fake Out
- Crunch
- Close Combat
Behold, the destroyer. Whenever I feel physical power is cut out for the job, I Baton Pass into Ursaring to wrap everything up. Fake Out does a ton of damage with +4 attack, but its real purpose is to guarantee that Flame Orb activates, shooting my attack to unfathomable levels. With the prevalance of priority, Quick Feet is unnecessary unless I'm going up against another ExtremeSpeed user. Guts ensures that priority wars end quickly in my favor. The burn that gives Ursaring his unshakable power also drains his health consistently, but the health recovery from Ingrain helps mitigate the damage and prolongs his longevity. Crunch and Close Combat round out the set, ensuring that those who resist ExtremeSpeed are eliminated quickly, and those that are immune will have to deal with a powerful Dark type move, such as Ghosts or Psychics.
Victini @ Expert Belt
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Hasty Nature
- Psystrike
- Blue Flare
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
When I feel that I need to actually use the Special attack boost offered through Shell Smash, I opt for Victini and his slew of powerful Special attacks. There really isn't much to explain, except that Victini's lack of priority might be a problem, but these attacks generally should be enough to wreck shop regardless.
Please tell me if I have any major holes in this team. Also, I am aware of the whole Suspect/Banned thing, but I don't know much else about it beyond that some of these tactics are only available in later rounds of the tournament. If that could be explained to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Trait: Vital Spirit
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Impish Nature
- Fusion Bolt
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Cross Chop
This is my dedicated lead to counter every other dedicated lead. For starters, sleep inducing Prankster users are rampant in the metagame, especially during the first turns of a match, and a hard-hitting Electivire immune to sleep with a bevy of coverage moves is something most aren't prepared for. Whether it be Jumpluff, Whimsicott, or Sableye, Electivire is fully capable of ruining most of their standard sets. For the Water Spout Keldeo leads that I see often, the Focus Sash and perfect accuracy Fusion Bolt guarantee that I cripple Keldeo enough to either survive another Water Spout, outright kill it, or send in Sawsbuck to finish the job. The coverage moves are for the other leads that try to break the mold and throw me off guard, which just backfires when I KO with a coverage move.
Quagsire (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Yawn
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
With such ridiculous Baton Passing shenanigans in the metagame, such as Simple Shell Smash Bibarel, someone with Unaware is a necessity to keep them in check and force them to retaliate or be destroyed. Quagsire is my main man, with only one (albeit crippling) weakness and considerable bulk to survive, set up, and wreck shop. Yawn forces most active Pokemon to switch out or become useless for the rest of the match, giving Quagsire a turn or two to use Curse to bulk up and sweep away. The two STAB moves are used instead of the one to make sure I hit stat boosters of all kinds, which unfortunately means I have to circumvent Recover.
Sawsbuck (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Def
- Baton Pass
- Ingrain
- ExtremeSpeed
- Substitute
Once every threat is out of the way, Sawsbuck can come in and begin my own nightmarish Baton Pass chain. To get the choice of ability out of the way, Sap Sipper is there to handle any stray grass type who tries to use Spore to cripple me before I set up my Substitute (Chlorophyll is useless due to my lack of dependence on weather). Once I'm comfortably protected, I set up Ingrain to ensure Roar and Whirlwind or even the occasional Red Card can't break my chain, and ExtremeSpeed to pick off those attempting to break through my Substitute. Once everything is in place, I Baton Pass to Bibarel, where the real magic begins.
Bibarel (M) @ White Herb
Trait: Simple
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Jolly Nature
- Shell Smash
- Stockpile
- Baton Pass
- ExtremeSpeed
Yes, I use Simple Shell Smash Bibarel, but only because I admire the efficiency of this set. The Substitute really only matters for Bibarel to get off the only Shell Smash I bother to do, landing a staggering +4 offenses and a White Herb to eliminate the defense decrease. Then I use Stockpile to amplify my defenses, usually only twice to save time. ExtremeSpeed is for the occasion that my Substitute is broken and I need a way to destroy a Taunt or Encore user I wasn't expecting. Once I'm satisfied with my stats, I baton pass to one of two people, depending on what I want to do.
Ursaring (M) @ Flame Orb
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 HP
Jolly Nature
- ExtremeSpeed
- Fake Out
- Crunch
- Close Combat
Behold, the destroyer. Whenever I feel physical power is cut out for the job, I Baton Pass into Ursaring to wrap everything up. Fake Out does a ton of damage with +4 attack, but its real purpose is to guarantee that Flame Orb activates, shooting my attack to unfathomable levels. With the prevalance of priority, Quick Feet is unnecessary unless I'm going up against another ExtremeSpeed user. Guts ensures that priority wars end quickly in my favor. The burn that gives Ursaring his unshakable power also drains his health consistently, but the health recovery from Ingrain helps mitigate the damage and prolongs his longevity. Crunch and Close Combat round out the set, ensuring that those who resist ExtremeSpeed are eliminated quickly, and those that are immune will have to deal with a powerful Dark type move, such as Ghosts or Psychics.
Victini @ Expert Belt
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Hasty Nature
- Psystrike
- Blue Flare
- Focus Blast
- Thunderbolt
When I feel that I need to actually use the Special attack boost offered through Shell Smash, I opt for Victini and his slew of powerful Special attacks. There really isn't much to explain, except that Victini's lack of priority might be a problem, but these attacks generally should be enough to wreck shop regardless.
Please tell me if I have any major holes in this team. Also, I am aware of the whole Suspect/Banned thing, but I don't know much else about it beyond that some of these tactics are only available in later rounds of the tournament. If that could be explained to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.