Team R: Re-thinking my Playing Strategy
So after my last team (Team N Updated: SU), I was awoken by Alan (in a sense). He kinda reminded me I should decide on what kind of type my team would be (bulky, balanced etc.). I knew what they were except for one: Balanced.
So this is going to be my first attempt at a Balanced team, with a single pokemon at it's head:
Flygon
Yup! The original Dragon-grounder has counters against many of the top 10 in the April metagame stats.
Most water types swamp out EQ users that get stab, but Flygon gets neutral hits, leaving only one weakness: Ice types.
...and I plan to counter it somehow either in his moveset, or his team members!
So, obviously, I started with Flygon. He's got a great number of resistances, and he's also great against spike-stacking offensive teams. It's always nice to get resistances against ground type moves, too...
Though I hate Choice Items, I might end up running a CBgon set here, since I sorely need a Swampert counter...
Scarfies! I've heard from players far and wide that Heatran works well with Flygon, so I decided to pair them up and go for a ride.
Heatran has the power to wall or counter most of Flygon's counters (uh oh, here comes Porygon2....*switches out for Heatran*). Of course, there's always the matter of getting walled by Blissey...in which case comes the third member I pondered...
...Lucario!
Lucario is there primarily for his ability to destroy normal types, as well as taking out other rock, dark, and steel types. Dark types are something that neither Flygon nor Heatran have the power to take down, so it's always nice to have something like that on the team.
...he even takes out Porygon2!
After this, I began to notice an apparent weakness to fighting type moves. SO....I decided that I needed to balance out my weaknesses by throwing in...
DUSKNOIR (Dusknwar, not Dusk no-are, PBR!)
Dusknoir has a coveted resistance to fighting and normal type attacks, both of which my team needed (well, maybe not normal type attacks).
Dusknoir also serves as a spin-blocker, in most cases. He's also got a savagely high amount of defense, and a good amount of attack, to boot!
In order to counter fighting types, I decided to run a Tank set, since I needed will-o-wisp, and it's (imo) the best set for Dusknoir.
So I'm on the Marriland Team Builder, and my team still seems to have a gaping weakness in the fighting type area. So....
Tentacruel got thrown into the mix.
Tentacruel has his astronomical SpD stat, which makes him my "backup" wall. His poison typing also helps against the occasional bug type that tries to outsmart me and kill off Dusknoir (*cough*Scizor*cough*U-turn*cough*).
Last of course, I had to come up with some sort of late-game sweeper....and one pokemon fit the bill:
GENGAR
Gengar is great for his ability to sweep with his astronomical 130 SpA, and his explosions to allow damage upon Blissey!
So....without further Ado, I'd like to further elaborate upon each of the pokemon in my team.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Explosion
Gengar is my lead. Now, I'm REALLY unsure of whether he should be my lead....
His above-average number of resistances earns him merit, so I put him there in case I run into something messed up.
Of course, in the event I run into something like a Scizor, I can either use Focus Blast, or blow up.
---
Heatran (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Fire Blast
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Explosion
Scarftran. Need I say more? (gets warned, and referred to the rules) Okay! Fine!
Some of you may be wondering why I have both Fire Blast AND Flame Thrower on this guy, even though they're both good on their own, and Scarf limits me. The answer is: I haven't the faintest idea.
Often times when I'm picking something off of a revenge kill, I tend to sway towards Fire Blast. However, if I find there's less PP, I use Flame Thrower. Additionally, I don't want to end up getting Mirror-coated for tons of damage by a Wobbuffet in Ubers, so if I ever have to, I use FT to wear down, then Fire Blast at the correct moment!
---
Dusknoir (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/28 Atk/228 Def
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Will-o-wisp
- Pain Split
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
Tanker!!!!
Dusknoir has been my "status inflicter". His immense defense has almost made him wonderful for inflicting this on EVERY LIVING SOUL! Pain split is Dusknoir's main mode of recovery, while EQ and FPunch are there for offensive attacks. I find that FPunch is especially useful for Exeggutor, and EQ is great against everything else.
---
Lucario (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extremespeed
- Crunch
Lucario and the Life Orb Set. Lucario is my cleaner. He can use his immense attack to take down others. Additionally, I can use Crunch for Ghosts, and if ever I come up with Bullet Punch Abusing Scizors, and I have little health, Extreme Speed for the final spurt!
---
Tentacruel (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP/120 Def/136 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Electric]
I've actually considered putting Tentacruel at first, but then I realized he had virtually no resistances, takes double damage from many common leads, etc. etc. SO....I decide to scout, then throw out Tentacruel if needed for revenge kills and Toxic Spikes.
---
Flygon (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Fire Blast
Last, there's Flygon, my main core! Flygon can kill many things with it's plethora of attacks. When boosted by Choice Band, it's really powerful, exCEPT for Fire Blast. Fire Blast is my "mixed" attack. Fire Blast can do heavy damage against Ice Types, obviously, and is there for that reason....
Additionally, U-Turn is great (when boosted) for scouting out the team. There was a time I considered putting my core as my lead, and U-Turning to a suitable counter.
---
If anybody could rate my team, that'd be great! THANX!
~Brian
So after my last team (Team N Updated: SU), I was awoken by Alan (in a sense). He kinda reminded me I should decide on what kind of type my team would be (bulky, balanced etc.). I knew what they were except for one: Balanced.
So this is going to be my first attempt at a Balanced team, with a single pokemon at it's head:
Flygon
Yup! The original Dragon-grounder has counters against many of the top 10 in the April metagame stats.
Most water types swamp out EQ users that get stab, but Flygon gets neutral hits, leaving only one weakness: Ice types.
...and I plan to counter it somehow either in his moveset, or his team members!
So, obviously, I started with Flygon. He's got a great number of resistances, and he's also great against spike-stacking offensive teams. It's always nice to get resistances against ground type moves, too...
Though I hate Choice Items, I might end up running a CBgon set here, since I sorely need a Swampert counter...
Scarfies! I've heard from players far and wide that Heatran works well with Flygon, so I decided to pair them up and go for a ride.
Heatran has the power to wall or counter most of Flygon's counters (uh oh, here comes Porygon2....*switches out for Heatran*). Of course, there's always the matter of getting walled by Blissey...in which case comes the third member I pondered...
...Lucario!
Lucario is there primarily for his ability to destroy normal types, as well as taking out other rock, dark, and steel types. Dark types are something that neither Flygon nor Heatran have the power to take down, so it's always nice to have something like that on the team.
...he even takes out Porygon2!
After this, I began to notice an apparent weakness to fighting type moves. SO....I decided that I needed to balance out my weaknesses by throwing in...
DUSKNOIR (Dusknwar, not Dusk no-are, PBR!)
Dusknoir has a coveted resistance to fighting and normal type attacks, both of which my team needed (well, maybe not normal type attacks).
Dusknoir also serves as a spin-blocker, in most cases. He's also got a savagely high amount of defense, and a good amount of attack, to boot!
In order to counter fighting types, I decided to run a Tank set, since I needed will-o-wisp, and it's (imo) the best set for Dusknoir.
So I'm on the Marriland Team Builder, and my team still seems to have a gaping weakness in the fighting type area. So....
Tentacruel got thrown into the mix.
Tentacruel has his astronomical SpD stat, which makes him my "backup" wall. His poison typing also helps against the occasional bug type that tries to outsmart me and kill off Dusknoir (*cough*Scizor*cough*U-turn*cough*).
Last of course, I had to come up with some sort of late-game sweeper....and one pokemon fit the bill:
GENGAR
Gengar is great for his ability to sweep with his astronomical 130 SpA, and his explosions to allow damage upon Blissey!
So....without further Ado, I'd like to further elaborate upon each of the pokemon in my team.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Explosion
Gengar is my lead. Now, I'm REALLY unsure of whether he should be my lead....
His above-average number of resistances earns him merit, so I put him there in case I run into something messed up.
Of course, in the event I run into something like a Scizor, I can either use Focus Blast, or blow up.
---
Heatran (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Fire Blast
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Explosion
Scarftran. Need I say more? (gets warned, and referred to the rules) Okay! Fine!
Some of you may be wondering why I have both Fire Blast AND Flame Thrower on this guy, even though they're both good on their own, and Scarf limits me. The answer is: I haven't the faintest idea.
Often times when I'm picking something off of a revenge kill, I tend to sway towards Fire Blast. However, if I find there's less PP, I use Flame Thrower. Additionally, I don't want to end up getting Mirror-coated for tons of damage by a Wobbuffet in Ubers, so if I ever have to, I use FT to wear down, then Fire Blast at the correct moment!
---
Dusknoir (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/28 Atk/228 Def
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Will-o-wisp
- Pain Split
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
Tanker!!!!
Dusknoir has been my "status inflicter". His immense defense has almost made him wonderful for inflicting this on EVERY LIVING SOUL! Pain split is Dusknoir's main mode of recovery, while EQ and FPunch are there for offensive attacks. I find that FPunch is especially useful for Exeggutor, and EQ is great against everything else.
---
Lucario (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extremespeed
- Crunch
Lucario and the Life Orb Set. Lucario is my cleaner. He can use his immense attack to take down others. Additionally, I can use Crunch for Ghosts, and if ever I come up with Bullet Punch Abusing Scizors, and I have little health, Extreme Speed for the final spurt!
---
Tentacruel (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP/120 Def/136 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Electric]
I've actually considered putting Tentacruel at first, but then I realized he had virtually no resistances, takes double damage from many common leads, etc. etc. SO....I decide to scout, then throw out Tentacruel if needed for revenge kills and Toxic Spikes.
---
Flygon (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- U-turn
- Fire Blast
Last, there's Flygon, my main core! Flygon can kill many things with it's plethora of attacks. When boosted by Choice Band, it's really powerful, exCEPT for Fire Blast. Fire Blast is my "mixed" attack. Fire Blast can do heavy damage against Ice Types, obviously, and is there for that reason....
Additionally, U-Turn is great (when boosted) for scouting out the team. There was a time I considered putting my core as my lead, and U-Turning to a suitable counter.
---
If anybody could rate my team, that'd be great! THANX!
~Brian
