Hey,
This is the most recent version of the team that featured in my Mushroom Warfare warstory a little while ago. I remember I used to enjoy playing with it a lot, so I'd like to put it up for rate to see if I can get some tips with it. I'm extremely rusty, haven't played in quite a while but I'd like to casually get back into the game if I can, so would appreciate any and all input. Thanks :).
note: my laptop crashed and was erased during my leave so I've lost the original file for the team, the one I'm showing here in the RMT is the best I can remember. EVs might be a bit off, this has been recreated from my slightly sketchy memory of competitive pokemon :P.
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Team Shrooms:
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Dragonite @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 232 Atk/24 Spd/252 SAtk
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Extremespeed
- Earthquake
---
A really quite fun anti-lead Pokemon, it's explained in a bit more detail in this thread, and in particular this post, which shows how it works against common leads. Thing with most anti-leads is that once the opponent knows what they set out to do, or once they become popular and more widely used, they lose their original purpose and don't function nearly as well. While this Dragonite lead retains some element of surprise (from what I can see with my limited number of recent battles on ladder), the fact of the matter is that it doesn't actually need it. It will pack a punch with any one of its moves, making use of its powerful mixed attacking stats. Also its ExtremeSpeed is around about as powerful as a LO Lucario's, which is always helpful for revenge killing Dragon Dancers not named Tyranitar :).
Function on the team is to hopefully get a one up against the opposing lead, putting my team at an instantaneous advantage. Dragonite is good at forcing switches and scouting out the opposing team. Information early on is very helpful in formulating a long term game plan, so seeing as many of my opponent's Pokemon as I can while showing as few of mine as I can is something I will always try to do at the start of a game. I play quite recklessly with Dragonite, using it to scout and weaken as much as I can early on, since it will never sweep by itself because of its low speed, weakness to SR, and the LO draining its health. However, I do like to keep it above 32% if I can, because a single ExtremeSpeed priority attack can often be the difference between a win and a loss later on in the game.
The EV spread is a bit specific to the team. Heavy investment in the offenses is obvious, but the 24 Speed EVs should both let it outspeed the majority of opposing Metagross leads (who naturally sit at the same Speed stat as a Quiet Dragonite), while also outspeeding 252+ base 115s who have been tricked a Macho Brace by 1 point (quite helpful against Starmie and Azelf and the like, who don't die as easily to an ExtremeSpeed as one would like, you know).
Bronzong @ Macho Brace
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/96 Atk/68 Def/92 SDef
Sassy nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Trick
- Explosion
---
Bronzong is the go-to Pokemon on my team. It generally comes in as early on as is easily done in order to set up Stealth Rock. It is a transition Pokemon on this team as much as anything else. Its purpose is primarily to set up Stealth Rock, secondly to serve as a decently reliable check to Dragons, in particular Latias, and thirdly to cause as much havoc as it can to the opposing team. It sometimes fourthly becomes quite good death fodder too, with its hit sponging ability and lack of recovery.
Macho Brace is a pretty cool item on Bronzong, especially when paired with Trick. Not only does it power up its Gyro Ball to the max 150 BP against any target with more than 186 speed (read: the vast vast majority of offensive Pokemon in the game), very very few opposing Pokemon would like to be tricked a Macho Brace. I racked my brains hard to think of a way in which Bronzong can deal with the ubiquitous Rotom formes, and this is pretty much the best the bronze bell can manage. However, Macho Brace is excellent at bringing fast sweepers down to earth and letting Breloom outspeed them, letting it have its way with them. If Breloom outspeeds all the remaining Pokemon on my opponent's team, chances are I will make them tear their hair out.
Explosion gets Bronzong out of the way quickly and efficiently when faced with something it can't otherwise hurt. Hypnosis is obviously out of the question since I have a Spore user on the team, and Explosion is always helpful in both blowing holes as well as preventing the team's pace from faltering.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Seed Bomb
- Superpower
- Facade
---
Very much the focus of the team. I came across this set, posted by husk, in an old N&C movesets thread. Having used it for a while, I must say it's really good fun to play with :). I agree with husk when he says it's the best use of Breloom. The Sub Puncher is usually what people expect, and so are quite often thrown off by a more offensive Breloom. Facade in particular is a pretty deadly surprise - a 140 bp move with good coverage coming off something with base 130 attack. It does a decent amount to Celebi, Latias, Salamence, Gyarados, and Zapdos switch ins, and I prefer it to Stone Edge because of its far greater reliability.
Jolly and max Speed let Breloom outspeed Adamant Gyarados by 1 point, something that comes in handy very often when you realize just how common Gyarados is, and just how often it and its Intimidate are called upon to check threatening Fighting-types. Superpower is a solid STAB attack, hitting most things very very hard. Seed Bomb makes the most of the secondary STAB, and is good for destroying any bulky waters which stay in to take a Spore, which in turn makes sweeping with CursePert later on in the game a much easier task.
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Explosion
---
Heatran has very good type synergy with the first three members of my team. It switches in well to many of the attacks that are commonly thrown about, and with Choice Scarf making up for its relatively low Speed can serve as a pretty threatening sweeper. I won't go on too long because this really is as standard fare as it comes, but Heatran is very important as a Lucario check, and with Choice Scarf attached brings some very much needed priority to the team.
Like with Bronzong, I really can't seem to make explosive things last very long, and Heatran often gets asked to blow up and get out the way (but make you sure you spot the signs of your opponent setting up for a Lucario sweep, and if this is the case then don't blow up your fire frog!). With practice I've found I'm quite good at predicting when my opponent is going to bring in something that would be beneficial to Explode on. Most of the time it's either a Blissey or a bulky water - with the former removed it means an easier time for both Dragonite and Latias, while the latter often results in a CursePert sweep.
Latias @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/80 Def/176 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Recover
- Reflect
- Thunderbolt
---
Slightly more unorthodox Latias set here. She serves primarily to check Gyarados and Infernape, and to revenge Mix Mence. Toxic Vaporeon was originally in this slot, but Latias fits the offensive nature of the team a bit better, and is far more proactive than the reactive Vaporeon used to be. Thunderbolt is good for softening up bulky waters et al for Swampert etc etc as well.
Throwing up a Reflect on a Scizor or Tyranitar switch in is the best way of getting Latias out alive. Heavy investment in HP and Defense let her take Reflected Pursuits and Bullet Punches quite well, and come back to fight another day. Reflect also provides some nice team support, giving Swampert a little buffer to set up and get its defense boosted with a couple of Curses. With Reflect, in the right circumstances, Latias can be used to check Lucario and other Fighting types such as Machamp as well.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/40 Def/216 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
---
CursePert seems to complete the synergy of the team in a nice roundabout way. It absorbs status and gives a good endgame plan against most teams. Not really intentionally at first, I found that the factors that go into making Breloom a successful sweeper can also be tailored to getting a clean set up sweep off with Swampert. This means I can adjust my strategy ever so slightly to give either of my key players an open road to victory. God I talk a lot of cliched crap... haha.
I should probably mention how much Rotom formes annoy me, despite how much I love using them. CursePert is an excellent switch in to most of them, and between it and Heatran covers even the offensive scarf tricking varieties as well. Rotom is also often quite good at giving me one or two free Curses before the opponent realizes that their ghost is toast (and not just Rotom-h formes either). With the heavy special defense investment, Swampert can be helpful in taking a lot of moderate power neutral special attacks, such as Shadow Ball from Rotom and non-LO Gengar, and if at full health, even things like Specs Latias Draco Meteors.
Since tricked Choice items and Grass-type attacks are the bane of any CursePert build, it's handy having the rest of the team composed of 5 Pokemon that take both Choice Scarf and in particular Grass Knot and Leaf Storm exceptionally well :).
---
Please rate as thoroughly as you can, I really need the advice. Don't assume I know too much shit because I really don't :P, and help me get back into this game if you can. Many thanks, LR.
This is the most recent version of the team that featured in my Mushroom Warfare warstory a little while ago. I remember I used to enjoy playing with it a lot, so I'd like to put it up for rate to see if I can get some tips with it. I'm extremely rusty, haven't played in quite a while but I'd like to casually get back into the game if I can, so would appreciate any and all input. Thanks :).
note: my laptop crashed and was erased during my leave so I've lost the original file for the team, the one I'm showing here in the RMT is the best I can remember. EVs might be a bit off, this has been recreated from my slightly sketchy memory of competitive pokemon :P.
---
Team Shrooms:
---
Dragonite @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 232 Atk/24 Spd/252 SAtk
Quiet nature (+SAtk, -Spd)
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast
- Extremespeed
- Earthquake
---
A really quite fun anti-lead Pokemon, it's explained in a bit more detail in this thread, and in particular this post, which shows how it works against common leads. Thing with most anti-leads is that once the opponent knows what they set out to do, or once they become popular and more widely used, they lose their original purpose and don't function nearly as well. While this Dragonite lead retains some element of surprise (from what I can see with my limited number of recent battles on ladder), the fact of the matter is that it doesn't actually need it. It will pack a punch with any one of its moves, making use of its powerful mixed attacking stats. Also its ExtremeSpeed is around about as powerful as a LO Lucario's, which is always helpful for revenge killing Dragon Dancers not named Tyranitar :).
Function on the team is to hopefully get a one up against the opposing lead, putting my team at an instantaneous advantage. Dragonite is good at forcing switches and scouting out the opposing team. Information early on is very helpful in formulating a long term game plan, so seeing as many of my opponent's Pokemon as I can while showing as few of mine as I can is something I will always try to do at the start of a game. I play quite recklessly with Dragonite, using it to scout and weaken as much as I can early on, since it will never sweep by itself because of its low speed, weakness to SR, and the LO draining its health. However, I do like to keep it above 32% if I can, because a single ExtremeSpeed priority attack can often be the difference between a win and a loss later on in the game.
The EV spread is a bit specific to the team. Heavy investment in the offenses is obvious, but the 24 Speed EVs should both let it outspeed the majority of opposing Metagross leads (who naturally sit at the same Speed stat as a Quiet Dragonite), while also outspeeding 252+ base 115s who have been tricked a Macho Brace by 1 point (quite helpful against Starmie and Azelf and the like, who don't die as easily to an ExtremeSpeed as one would like, you know).
Bronzong @ Macho Brace
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/96 Atk/68 Def/92 SDef
Sassy nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Trick
- Explosion
---
Bronzong is the go-to Pokemon on my team. It generally comes in as early on as is easily done in order to set up Stealth Rock. It is a transition Pokemon on this team as much as anything else. Its purpose is primarily to set up Stealth Rock, secondly to serve as a decently reliable check to Dragons, in particular Latias, and thirdly to cause as much havoc as it can to the opposing team. It sometimes fourthly becomes quite good death fodder too, with its hit sponging ability and lack of recovery.
Macho Brace is a pretty cool item on Bronzong, especially when paired with Trick. Not only does it power up its Gyro Ball to the max 150 BP against any target with more than 186 speed (read: the vast vast majority of offensive Pokemon in the game), very very few opposing Pokemon would like to be tricked a Macho Brace. I racked my brains hard to think of a way in which Bronzong can deal with the ubiquitous Rotom formes, and this is pretty much the best the bronze bell can manage. However, Macho Brace is excellent at bringing fast sweepers down to earth and letting Breloom outspeed them, letting it have its way with them. If Breloom outspeeds all the remaining Pokemon on my opponent's team, chances are I will make them tear their hair out.
Explosion gets Bronzong out of the way quickly and efficiently when faced with something it can't otherwise hurt. Hypnosis is obviously out of the question since I have a Spore user on the team, and Explosion is always helpful in both blowing holes as well as preventing the team's pace from faltering.
Breloom @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Spore
- Seed Bomb
- Superpower
- Facade
---
Very much the focus of the team. I came across this set, posted by husk, in an old N&C movesets thread. Having used it for a while, I must say it's really good fun to play with :). I agree with husk when he says it's the best use of Breloom. The Sub Puncher is usually what people expect, and so are quite often thrown off by a more offensive Breloom. Facade in particular is a pretty deadly surprise - a 140 bp move with good coverage coming off something with base 130 attack. It does a decent amount to Celebi, Latias, Salamence, Gyarados, and Zapdos switch ins, and I prefer it to Stone Edge because of its far greater reliability.
Jolly and max Speed let Breloom outspeed Adamant Gyarados by 1 point, something that comes in handy very often when you realize just how common Gyarados is, and just how often it and its Intimidate are called upon to check threatening Fighting-types. Superpower is a solid STAB attack, hitting most things very very hard. Seed Bomb makes the most of the secondary STAB, and is good for destroying any bulky waters which stay in to take a Spore, which in turn makes sweeping with CursePert later on in the game a much easier task.
Heatran @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Explosion
---
Heatran has very good type synergy with the first three members of my team. It switches in well to many of the attacks that are commonly thrown about, and with Choice Scarf making up for its relatively low Speed can serve as a pretty threatening sweeper. I won't go on too long because this really is as standard fare as it comes, but Heatran is very important as a Lucario check, and with Choice Scarf attached brings some very much needed priority to the team.
Like with Bronzong, I really can't seem to make explosive things last very long, and Heatran often gets asked to blow up and get out the way (but make you sure you spot the signs of your opponent setting up for a Lucario sweep, and if this is the case then don't blow up your fire frog!). With practice I've found I'm quite good at predicting when my opponent is going to bring in something that would be beneficial to Explode on. Most of the time it's either a Blissey or a bulky water - with the former removed it means an easier time for both Dragonite and Latias, while the latter often results in a CursePert sweep.
Latias @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/80 Def/176 Spd
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Dragon Pulse
- Recover
- Reflect
- Thunderbolt
---
Slightly more unorthodox Latias set here. She serves primarily to check Gyarados and Infernape, and to revenge Mix Mence. Toxic Vaporeon was originally in this slot, but Latias fits the offensive nature of the team a bit better, and is far more proactive than the reactive Vaporeon used to be. Thunderbolt is good for softening up bulky waters et al for Swampert etc etc as well.
Throwing up a Reflect on a Scizor or Tyranitar switch in is the best way of getting Latias out alive. Heavy investment in HP and Defense let her take Reflected Pursuits and Bullet Punches quite well, and come back to fight another day. Reflect also provides some nice team support, giving Swampert a little buffer to set up and get its defense boosted with a couple of Curses. With Reflect, in the right circumstances, Latias can be used to check Lucario and other Fighting types such as Machamp as well.
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/40 Def/216 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Waterfall
- Curse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
---
CursePert seems to complete the synergy of the team in a nice roundabout way. It absorbs status and gives a good endgame plan against most teams. Not really intentionally at first, I found that the factors that go into making Breloom a successful sweeper can also be tailored to getting a clean set up sweep off with Swampert. This means I can adjust my strategy ever so slightly to give either of my key players an open road to victory. God I talk a lot of cliched crap... haha.
I should probably mention how much Rotom formes annoy me, despite how much I love using them. CursePert is an excellent switch in to most of them, and between it and Heatran covers even the offensive scarf tricking varieties as well. Rotom is also often quite good at giving me one or two free Curses before the opponent realizes that their ghost is toast (and not just Rotom-h formes either). With the heavy special defense investment, Swampert can be helpful in taking a lot of moderate power neutral special attacks, such as Shadow Ball from Rotom and non-LO Gengar, and if at full health, even things like Specs Latias Draco Meteors.
Since tricked Choice items and Grass-type attacks are the bane of any CursePert build, it's handy having the rest of the team composed of 5 Pokemon that take both Choice Scarf and in particular Grass Knot and Leaf Storm exceptionally well :).
---
Please rate as thoroughly as you can, I really need the advice. Don't assume I know too much shit because I really don't :P, and help me get back into this game if you can. Many thanks, LR.
