Pretty new here, so please bear with me!
Goal of the team is basically do as much damage and cause as much havoc as I can before bringing in a buffed Mega Garchomp.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spd
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
This guy swaps between himself and Tyranitar for lead, depending on which threats are present (although lately I've been favoring Tyranitar for stealth rocks). Pretty basic, put down as many spikes as I can and try to stay alive to whirlwind things. Used to have problems with teams with a lot of flying types, but doing better now thanks to SR! I was debating a Custap set with Stealth Rock instead, but 1) I favor teams that I can actually create in-game, and there's no way I can get that berry and 2) he does work pretty well when the opponent isn't prepared, so I'm not sure if I should change him.
*NEW*
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Counter
- Thunder Wave
My main healer / special tank. Wish and heal bell were pretty standard choices--burn and paralyze ruined my day before I added her, and wish is really lovely for passing on to a weakened Skarmory or even Garchomp, if I get the chance. When it came down to a status move, I decided for thunder wave over toxic because I favor the ability to set up over the ability to have Blissey kill things herself. More than once now I've been able to paralyze the other team's walls, switch to Scolipede, and cheerfully set up while my opponent flounders. It also helps slow down opponents for Mega Garchomp, which can be quite useful if my Scolipede's been taken out. Also useful for paralyzing whatever Volt Switch Rotoms decide to bring in. Counter might seem like an odd choice, but I've been able to use it more than once to take out pokemon that would otherwise drive me nuts (such as spinning Excadrills and stalling Gliscors).
Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Avalanche
- Rock Slide
Main goal of this guy is to set up sandstorms and pursuit-kill weaker foes; sandstorm fits perfectly with Skarmory and Garchomp and the SR is a blessing. I was originally using crunch, but I almost never kept him around long enough to use it well, so I switched to avalanche to take out some creatures that normally infuriated my team (mainly Gliscor and Mandibuzz, although it works great against some dragons as well). I also switched to Smooth Rock over leftovers because the longer sandstorm did me more good than the longer-lived Tyranitar, especially when, as mentioned before, I usually don't keep him in for long.
*NEW*
Chandelure @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Energy Ball
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Psychic
For a while I was having trouble with substitute-using pokemon, so I decided to try using an infiltrator Chandelure. The scarf is to make up for her abysmal speed, and seems to take many foes by surprise--sometimes pokemon stay in that I'd normally think would switch out, likely imagining they can out speed her only to get a surprise overheat in their face. She's also a great spin blocker (unless I mispredict and bring her in on another attack, eep), and can kill Excadrills with surprising efficiency. I had tried using a Specs Gengar in her place for a while, but after a Nasty Plot Lucario swept my entire team I decided I wanted the firepower back again (plus, again--Excadrill melting).
Scolipede @ Black Sludge
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Def / 224 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
The Passer of Boosts! She also does a good job at killing frail pokemon, particularly those she's SE against (aka dark and psychic types), so in a pinch I can sometimes use her as a revenge killer. I swapped out the Focus Sash for Black Sludge now that there's usually a sandstorm around, and invested the extra EVs in HP; she seems to be able to wipe out most frail things decently, and I value her passing abilities more than her fighting abilities, so it seemed the better choice. On the other hand, there've been a few spots where her attack levels were already impressive and some extra beef might have wiped out slower threats (which is almost everything after a turn or two). Thoughts?
Garchomp @ Garchompite
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Poison Jab
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dual Chop
The main member! Again, pretty simple: get boosts, then sweep near the end of the game once everyone is already weakened and hopefully everything with priority / SE against him is dead. His frail defense can be a killer, though; pretty much anything that can survive him (or outspeed him) can kill him. I put in Dual Chop after someone recommended it as a sub breaker, but I'm having mixed results there, and it's missed more than once.
And that's it! Seems to be doing pretty well overall, but I still live in fear of priority attacks, and any and all advice and ideas are appreciated. :)
Goal of the team is basically do as much damage and cause as much havoc as I can before bringing in a buffed Mega Garchomp.
Skarmory @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spd
Impish Nature
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- Spikes
This guy swaps between himself and Tyranitar for lead, depending on which threats are present (although lately I've been favoring Tyranitar for stealth rocks). Pretty basic, put down as many spikes as I can and try to stay alive to whirlwind things. Used to have problems with teams with a lot of flying types, but doing better now thanks to SR! I was debating a Custap set with Stealth Rock instead, but 1) I favor teams that I can actually create in-game, and there's no way I can get that berry and 2) he does work pretty well when the opponent isn't prepared, so I'm not sure if I should change him.
*NEW*
Blissey @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature
- Wish
- Heal Bell
- Counter
- Thunder Wave
My main healer / special tank. Wish and heal bell were pretty standard choices--burn and paralyze ruined my day before I added her, and wish is really lovely for passing on to a weakened Skarmory or even Garchomp, if I get the chance. When it came down to a status move, I decided for thunder wave over toxic because I favor the ability to set up over the ability to have Blissey kill things herself. More than once now I've been able to paralyze the other team's walls, switch to Scolipede, and cheerfully set up while my opponent flounders. It also helps slow down opponents for Mega Garchomp, which can be quite useful if my Scolipede's been taken out. Also useful for paralyzing whatever Volt Switch Rotoms decide to bring in. Counter might seem like an odd choice, but I've been able to use it more than once to take out pokemon that would otherwise drive me nuts (such as spinning Excadrills and stalling Gliscors).
Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Pursuit
- Avalanche
- Rock Slide
Main goal of this guy is to set up sandstorms and pursuit-kill weaker foes; sandstorm fits perfectly with Skarmory and Garchomp and the SR is a blessing. I was originally using crunch, but I almost never kept him around long enough to use it well, so I switched to avalanche to take out some creatures that normally infuriated my team (mainly Gliscor and Mandibuzz, although it works great against some dragons as well). I also switched to Smooth Rock over leftovers because the longer sandstorm did me more good than the longer-lived Tyranitar, especially when, as mentioned before, I usually don't keep him in for long.
*NEW*
Chandelure @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Energy Ball
- Overheat
- Shadow Ball
- Psychic
For a while I was having trouble with substitute-using pokemon, so I decided to try using an infiltrator Chandelure. The scarf is to make up for her abysmal speed, and seems to take many foes by surprise--sometimes pokemon stay in that I'd normally think would switch out, likely imagining they can out speed her only to get a surprise overheat in their face. She's also a great spin blocker (unless I mispredict and bring her in on another attack, eep), and can kill Excadrills with surprising efficiency. I had tried using a Specs Gengar in her place for a while, but after a Nasty Plot Lucario swept my entire team I decided I wanted the firepower back again (plus, again--Excadrill melting).
Scolipede @ Black Sludge
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Def / 224 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
- Megahorn
The Passer of Boosts! She also does a good job at killing frail pokemon, particularly those she's SE against (aka dark and psychic types), so in a pinch I can sometimes use her as a revenge killer. I swapped out the Focus Sash for Black Sludge now that there's usually a sandstorm around, and invested the extra EVs in HP; she seems to be able to wipe out most frail things decently, and I value her passing abilities more than her fighting abilities, so it seemed the better choice. On the other hand, there've been a few spots where her attack levels were already impressive and some extra beef might have wiped out slower threats (which is almost everything after a turn or two). Thoughts?
Garchomp @ Garchompite
Ability: Sand Veil
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Poison Jab
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dual Chop
The main member! Again, pretty simple: get boosts, then sweep near the end of the game once everyone is already weakened and hopefully everything with priority / SE against him is dead. His frail defense can be a killer, though; pretty much anything that can survive him (or outspeed him) can kill him. I put in Dual Chop after someone recommended it as a sub breaker, but I'm having mixed results there, and it's missed more than once.
And that's it! Seems to be doing pretty well overall, but I still live in fear of priority attacks, and any and all advice and ideas are appreciated. :)
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