Sunny with a Chance of Sludge Bomb
Intro
Hi guys, I'm 2sly4u and this is my first serious NU team. After a bit of experimenting (and a lot of losing) I've finally found a team that fits my play style and can win consistently. I haven't downloaded Pokemon Showdown yet, but I've gotten in plenty of play testing on the PO server and was hoping to get some suggestions before switching over. Without further ado, here's my team!
General Strategy:
This team's main strategy is pretty obvious: Sunny Day sweep. In general, Cottonee gets up my Weather, Victreebel punches huge holes in the enemy team, and everything else cleans up. I also have a backup Chlorophyll sweeper in Shiftry (kind of like a Double Dragon team). This team has no defensive synergy at all and little bulk, so it's very important that I finish matches quickly while giving my opponent as few turns as possible. Therefore, I'm running two Chlorophyll sweepers, two Scarfers, and two Prankster users, giving me a ton of Speed. My ideal games usually end in 10-12 turns.
Closer Look: (Changes in Bold)
Cottonee@Heat Rock
Ability: Prankster
Bold Nature, 252HP/252Def/4SpD
Sunny Day
Memento
Encore
Taunt
Cottonee is my lead 90% of the time, and while it doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of anything it does an awesome job of getting my Weather up and sacrificing itself to get Victreebel in safely. Sunny Day is obviously the most important move on the set, as without weather my two Chlorophyll sweepers are essentially dead weight. Memento, however, was the reason I picked her over other Prankster users; assuming Cottonee survives the first turn, Memento guarantees me a free switch to Victreebel, and usually also nets him a free +2 boost as my opponent switches in turn. Encore is mostly to stop Substitue from screwing me over, while Taunt is hardly ever used but stops opposing weather from being set up should I feel it's necessary. Cottonee forms the first half of my early game battery, and is vital to the team's success.
Victreebel@Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
Modest Nature, 252SpA/4SpD/252Spe
Growth
Weather Ball
Solar Beam
Sludge Bomb
Victreebel is easily the MVP of my team, and easily tears through the majority of NU. There isn't anything special about his move set, but he's so insanely strong that he doesn't really need any surprise factor to be effective. Growth gets him to +2 if he gets the opportunity (he usually does thanks to Memento), but it's not always necessary. From there, he's free to dominate with Weather Ball, Solar Beam, and Sludge Bomb. Modest is used because he outspeeds basically everything anyways, and the boost in power is notable. How much damage Victreebel does generally determines how a match goes for me. If he gets a few KOs, I've probably won; if not, everything becomes much more difficult.
Shiftry@Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
Modest Nature, 4/252SpA/252Spe
Nasty Plot
Solar Beam
Dark Pulse
Hidden Power [Fire]
Shiftry is my backup Chlorophyll user. In a nutshell, Shiftry can fill a multitude of roles, such as sweeper, Wallbreaker, or cleaner; it all depends on what I need him to do that match. He doesn't have the raw power Victreebel has, but he's faster, more unpredictable, and can function better outside of Sun. Nasty Plot is Shiftry's main boosting move, and is more important for him than for Victreebel because of his lower Special Attack and weaker moves. It's used over Growth so he can boost in other weather conditions. Solar Beam and Dark Pulse are his STABs. The former is his most spammable move in the Sun, while Dark Pulse's flinch rate is handy on occasion and has more utility. HP Fire rounds out the set, gaining pseudo-STAB in Sun and busting through Steel-types. While not as vital as Victreebel to the team dynamic, he's still useful as a late-game cleaner and wall breaker. He may seem redundant alongside another Chlorophyll user, but this is hardly the case; he does a great job of weakening my opponent's main Grass counter, letting Victreebel revenge and sweep.
Murkrow@Heat Rock
Ability: Prankster
Adamant/Naughty Nature, 252Att/4SpA/252Spe
Sunny Day
Thunder Wave
Sucker Punch/Dark Pulse
Brave Bird
Murkrow is my secondary weather setter. While it does a reliable job, it's pretty much outclassed by Cottonee since the latter can kill itself with Memento, giving me free setup and more Weather turns. Sunny Day is obviously necessary, while Thunder Wave gives me a status option. It's useful if I realize I can't get my weather up for the rest of the game since I can then outspeed things with my sweepers anyways. Brave Bird is STAB, and lets me do decent damage while whittling away at my own health. I'm still deciding between priority in Sucker Punch and reliability in Dark Pulse, but rest assured the nature will be set accordingly. Since changing to the set suggested by Amarillo, Murkrow has been much better at dying quickly and keeping on the pressure.
Rapidash@Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
Jolly Nature, 252Att/4SpD/252Spe
Flare Blitz
Wild Charge
Low Kick
Frustration
Rapidash is my first Scarfer and last Sun abuser. It acts as a revenge killer, but in the Sun it can also nab a few KOs with Flare Blitz, which is also the main STAB move on this set. Wild Charge hits Waters hard, while Low Kick nails Rock types such as Golem. Frustration was chosen in the last slot to hit Altaria, who is otherwise annoying for this team to face. Overall, Rapidash is more of a complementary piece than a superstar. However, Flash Fire is very helpful and nothing else has her mix of Speed and Power.
Sawk@Choice Scarf
Ability: Sturdy
Jolly Nature, 252HP/4Spd/252Spe
Close Combat
Ice Punch
Earthquake
Fire Punch
Sawk is my second Scarfer, and is the only pokemon on my team that has nothing to do with Sun. With Sturdy, he can act as a catch-all, tanking at least one hit and KOing in turn with the appropriate move. He’s also strong enough to clean late-game if my opponent doesn’t have any Ghosts left. Ice Punch is one of his new toys from BW2, and is used over Stone Edge for the higher accuracy and the ability to hit Altaria and Golurk hard. Earthquake handles Fire-types such as Emboar and opposing Rapidash. Fire Punch is mostly filler, but it gains pseudo STAB in the Sun and is more spammable than Close Combat if my opponent is packing Ghosts. Sawk has been reliable, but he was mostly just tacked on the team because of my inexperience in the tier. If anyone has any better ideas for a sixth teammate, I’m all ears.
Well that’s my team! Any and all suggestions are appreciated, especially from experience NU players. Thanks in advance.
