There's probably a lot of people here who don't know me that well except for those who have battled me on Pokemon Showdown recently, but I've been into competitive battling since the latter stages of DPPT(post-HGSS release) and the release of BW2 has really pleased me. Anyway, after playing on Pokemon Showdown for a few days, I noticed that there were a lack of Sun teams and decided to give it a try. The team has worked out pretty well so far, peaking at #27 on Pokemon Showdown so far(not sure if that means a whole lot, but oh well) but I figured more experienced battlers may see something wrong with the team that I don't currently see. So, without further ado, here's the team:
A First Look
TEAMBUILDING
Well, I was wanting to use a Sun team, so Ninetales is a given. I decided to wait on giving it a set until I figured out the rest of my team, but I was considering the Sunny Day and Specially Defensive sets.
Venusaur and Volcarona are arguably the two best sun sweepers and both received a couple of key moves, so I decided to use the two of them together for some offensive and defensive synergy. Venusaur is able to protect Volca from TSpikes and switch into bulky Waters carrying Toxic while Volcarona can switch into predicted Bullet Punches and Ice Shards to keep Venusaur from getting picked off.
Well, any team carrying Volcarona pretty much needs a spinner. Donphan fit pretty well since it could tank physical hits and check Scarf Terrakion for the team. The Defensive Rapid Spin set fit perfectly as it not only gives me Rapid Spin, but it also gives me Stealth Rock, a vital move with the many rain teams abusing Thundurus-T and Tornadus-T right now. Sadly, I still didn't have a way to force out/KO opposing weather inducers yet, so I decided to turn to a recently released threat.
Enter Techniloom. Though it may be strange to use a Grass type that doesn't have access to Chlorophyll and put it on a Sun team, Breloom isn't nearly bulky enough to often take advantage of the rain IMO. Anyway, Banded Techniloom pretty much does everything I needed. It reliably takes out weather inducers, elleviates pressure on Donphan to keep checking Scarf Terrakions, and it allows me to play more aggressively with boosting threats should they not resist Mach Punch or carry their own priority. With Breloom, I still needed a way to keep Dragons in check since they would willingly setup on most of the team with impunity.
Since I knew I had a severe weakness to Dragons, I decided to put in Mamoswine. Thanks to Donphan using SR, Mamoswine is able to run Life Orb and still pick off everything it needs to with Ice Shard while being able to switch moves when necessary. Its Water weakness is shored up by sunlight, and like Breloom, it isn't taking Fire moves well in the first place anyway.
IN DEPTH LOOK
Ninetales @ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Spd / 104 SDef
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 30 Spd
- Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Once I decided on Mamoswine, I decided to go with the more defensive route on Ninetales. With this set, it really eases the pressure on Breloom to take out the opposing weather inducer as Ninetales can hang around for a while. Sub allows Ninetales to lure in the opposing weather inducer (or other physical attacker) and proceed to burn them with Will-O-Wisp. As long as the opponent isn't faster than Tales, she'll have 2 turns to land the burn. As for offense, Flamethrower is used for the reliability and it still has decent power under sunlight. HP Fighting is really only there to deal with Heatran and Tyranitar after it's been weakened. The Speed EVs ensure that Ninetales can get the jump on neutral natured base 100 Speed Pokemon such as Jirachi, Salamence, and Haxorus to get the burn on them before they can make a move. The rest of the EVs are poured into Ninetales's HP and SpDef to improve her special bulk.
Breloom @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Spore
- Low Sweep
Choice Band Techniloom is great for sun teams and it's usually what I'll lead with against opposing rain and sand teams. Mach Punch is such a great move to spam. Think Scizor's Bullet Punch, but add a much better typing to it. Yeah, it's really good. Bullet Seed outright maims the likes of Politoed, Jellicent, and Rotom-W among others, all of which are staples on rain and sand teams. Low Sweep is that move that faster things just come to hate. Have a Latios? Too bad, you get 2HKOed and I outspeed after a Speed drop. It's also great for when you know the opponent has to switch, but you aren't sure as to exactly what that something may be. The last move is Spore. Since I use this Breloom as a lead on a semi-regular basis, Spore can instantly take something out of the match on turn 1. Usually, there's something on the team that can take advantage of this. It's also useful mid-game should there be just one thing that's preventing a Volcarona or Venusaur sweep. Adamant is used since most faster things can be taken out by either Mach Punch or 2 Low Sweeps.
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 30 Spd
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Venusaur only got one notable new move in BW2. Fortunately for him, that move makes a really big difference. Growth is the same boosting move it has been since the start of BW. Boost to +2 Spec Attack and watch as everything that doesn't resist your STABs falls like flies. However, Venusaur can now legally use Giga Drain with Chlorophyll. While it may not seem like much, this means that our favorite bulb/plant/dino doesn't have to worry about getting stalled out by LO recoil. With Breloom already having a sleep-inducing move, Venusaur can run a Hidden Power. Though many like HP Fire, this team prefers HP Fighting. This allows Venusaur to lure in and outright KO opposing Heatran which can allow Volcarona to sweep just about any team. HP Fighting also allows Venusaur to punish a Tyranitar for taking away his sunlight. Modest is used for more reasons than one. Venusaur gets doubled Speed in sun and won't be sweeping at all outside of it. Modest allows Venusaur to slam predicted switches harder than you may expect should it force something out. A prime example would be coming in on a Politoed and forcing a switch to one of the Therians as Toed can't risk getting KOed in a weather war.
Volcarona @ Life Orb
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
Ah, Volcarona. The ever-popular moth has been a threat since the outset of BW. However, it has always struggled with bulky Waters in one way or another. Whether it being that they cause enough damage to the offensive set to stall it out with LO recoil or poisoning bulkier sets and effectively rendering them useless, bulky Waters have always been an issue for Volcarona.....until now. What used to be good ways to check, if not counter, Volcarona now becomes a liability. Quiver Dance is Volca's trademark. Boosting her best stats all at once is amazing. Having water moves weakened is even better. Fiery Dance is used for Fire STAB as the power loss against Fire Blast is compensated by sunlight and a good chance to boost SpecAttack. Bug Buzz nails the Lati twins, Ttar, and Reuniclus really hard. Finally, we have Volca's new move in Giga Drain. Though some may prefer Roost over Giga Drain, the fact of the matter is that you still don't solve the problem of Bulky Waters with Roost. They can still almost freely Toxic you and pretty much put your sweep on a timer. However, with Giga Drain, most bulky Waters don't stand a chance once Volca is boosted. This is augmented by the fact that Heatran will hopefully have been lured in and KOed by Venusaur before Volca attempts a sweep. Life Orb is the item of choice as Giga Drain can keep your health up high enough to avoid being revenge killed by priority users such as Scizor, Infernape, and Breloom.
Donphan @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Donphan is the team's physical tank and general utility Poke. With access to both Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin, Donphan accomplishes two major tasks. With Rapid Spin, this generally ensures that Ninetales and Volcarona don't get slammed by entry hazards, primarily SR, upon coming in. With SR, Donphan helps the offensive mons on this team by chipping down their checks and counters into KO range. Should Donphan still be around after those duties are fullfilled, he can then smack stuff around with EdgeQuake. Notable threats such as non-Ice Beam Tyranitar, Terrakion, and most Jirachi get held in check as long as Donphan is around. Donphan can also slam the likes of Dragonite and Salamence in a pinch should neither pack a special attack. The EVs reflect Donphan's main purpose as they are concentrated on physical bulk. However, 80 Attack EVs are used to let Donphan hit decently hard should he still be around after his Rapid Spin and SR duties are completed.
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Shard
Mamoswine may not seem at home on a Sun team, but its ability to ensure that Dragons, Therian formes, and Gliscor can never get out of hand is invaluable. Icicle Crash and EQ are STAB moves that hit incredibly hard off of Mamo's high Attack stat. Stone Edge is a neat move that can crush switch-ins expecting an Ice Shard instead(hi Politoed) Speaking of Ice Shard, it's the most important move on the set. Without it, Mamoswine would not be able to revenge kill all of the relevant threats it can take on. Haxorus, Salamence, Landorus, Tornadus, Thundurus-T, and Hydreigon are all among the legion of serious threats Mamoswine has no issues with revenge killing. Since Mamoswine rarely needs to outspeed its targets, Adamant is used as the nature for the power boost.
IMPORTABLE
Note that IVs show only stats that don't have 31 IVs due to either hitting a Life Orb number or due to a certain Hidden Power.
A First Look
TEAMBUILDING
Well, I was wanting to use a Sun team, so Ninetales is a given. I decided to wait on giving it a set until I figured out the rest of my team, but I was considering the Sunny Day and Specially Defensive sets.
Venusaur and Volcarona are arguably the two best sun sweepers and both received a couple of key moves, so I decided to use the two of them together for some offensive and defensive synergy. Venusaur is able to protect Volca from TSpikes and switch into bulky Waters carrying Toxic while Volcarona can switch into predicted Bullet Punches and Ice Shards to keep Venusaur from getting picked off.
Well, any team carrying Volcarona pretty much needs a spinner. Donphan fit pretty well since it could tank physical hits and check Scarf Terrakion for the team. The Defensive Rapid Spin set fit perfectly as it not only gives me Rapid Spin, but it also gives me Stealth Rock, a vital move with the many rain teams abusing Thundurus-T and Tornadus-T right now. Sadly, I still didn't have a way to force out/KO opposing weather inducers yet, so I decided to turn to a recently released threat.
Enter Techniloom. Though it may be strange to use a Grass type that doesn't have access to Chlorophyll and put it on a Sun team, Breloom isn't nearly bulky enough to often take advantage of the rain IMO. Anyway, Banded Techniloom pretty much does everything I needed. It reliably takes out weather inducers, elleviates pressure on Donphan to keep checking Scarf Terrakions, and it allows me to play more aggressively with boosting threats should they not resist Mach Punch or carry their own priority. With Breloom, I still needed a way to keep Dragons in check since they would willingly setup on most of the team with impunity.
Since I knew I had a severe weakness to Dragons, I decided to put in Mamoswine. Thanks to Donphan using SR, Mamoswine is able to run Life Orb and still pick off everything it needs to with Ice Shard while being able to switch moves when necessary. Its Water weakness is shored up by sunlight, and like Breloom, it isn't taking Fire moves well in the first place anyway.
IN DEPTH LOOK
Ninetales @ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Spd / 104 SDef
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 30 Spd
- Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Once I decided on Mamoswine, I decided to go with the more defensive route on Ninetales. With this set, it really eases the pressure on Breloom to take out the opposing weather inducer as Ninetales can hang around for a while. Sub allows Ninetales to lure in the opposing weather inducer (or other physical attacker) and proceed to burn them with Will-O-Wisp. As long as the opponent isn't faster than Tales, she'll have 2 turns to land the burn. As for offense, Flamethrower is used for the reliability and it still has decent power under sunlight. HP Fighting is really only there to deal with Heatran and Tyranitar after it's been weakened. The Speed EVs ensure that Ninetales can get the jump on neutral natured base 100 Speed Pokemon such as Jirachi, Salamence, and Haxorus to get the burn on them before they can make a move. The rest of the EVs are poured into Ninetales's HP and SpDef to improve her special bulk.
Breloom @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Spore
- Low Sweep
Choice Band Techniloom is great for sun teams and it's usually what I'll lead with against opposing rain and sand teams. Mach Punch is such a great move to spam. Think Scizor's Bullet Punch, but add a much better typing to it. Yeah, it's really good. Bullet Seed outright maims the likes of Politoed, Jellicent, and Rotom-W among others, all of which are staples on rain and sand teams. Low Sweep is that move that faster things just come to hate. Have a Latios? Too bad, you get 2HKOed and I outspeed after a Speed drop. It's also great for when you know the opponent has to switch, but you aren't sure as to exactly what that something may be. The last move is Spore. Since I use this Breloom as a lead on a semi-regular basis, Spore can instantly take something out of the match on turn 1. Usually, there's something on the team that can take advantage of this. It's also useful mid-game should there be just one thing that's preventing a Volcarona or Venusaur sweep. Adamant is used since most faster things can be taken out by either Mach Punch or 2 Low Sweeps.
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 30 Spd
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Venusaur only got one notable new move in BW2. Fortunately for him, that move makes a really big difference. Growth is the same boosting move it has been since the start of BW. Boost to +2 Spec Attack and watch as everything that doesn't resist your STABs falls like flies. However, Venusaur can now legally use Giga Drain with Chlorophyll. While it may not seem like much, this means that our favorite bulb/plant/dino doesn't have to worry about getting stalled out by LO recoil. With Breloom already having a sleep-inducing move, Venusaur can run a Hidden Power. Though many like HP Fire, this team prefers HP Fighting. This allows Venusaur to lure in and outright KO opposing Heatran which can allow Volcarona to sweep just about any team. HP Fighting also allows Venusaur to punish a Tyranitar for taking away his sunlight. Modest is used for more reasons than one. Venusaur gets doubled Speed in sun and won't be sweeping at all outside of it. Modest allows Venusaur to slam predicted switches harder than you may expect should it force something out. A prime example would be coming in on a Politoed and forcing a switch to one of the Therians as Toed can't risk getting KOed in a weather war.
Volcarona @ Life Orb
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
Ah, Volcarona. The ever-popular moth has been a threat since the outset of BW. However, it has always struggled with bulky Waters in one way or another. Whether it being that they cause enough damage to the offensive set to stall it out with LO recoil or poisoning bulkier sets and effectively rendering them useless, bulky Waters have always been an issue for Volcarona.....until now. What used to be good ways to check, if not counter, Volcarona now becomes a liability. Quiver Dance is Volca's trademark. Boosting her best stats all at once is amazing. Having water moves weakened is even better. Fiery Dance is used for Fire STAB as the power loss against Fire Blast is compensated by sunlight and a good chance to boost SpecAttack. Bug Buzz nails the Lati twins, Ttar, and Reuniclus really hard. Finally, we have Volca's new move in Giga Drain. Though some may prefer Roost over Giga Drain, the fact of the matter is that you still don't solve the problem of Bulky Waters with Roost. They can still almost freely Toxic you and pretty much put your sweep on a timer. However, with Giga Drain, most bulky Waters don't stand a chance once Volca is boosted. This is augmented by the fact that Heatran will hopefully have been lured in and KOed by Venusaur before Volca attempts a sweep. Life Orb is the item of choice as Giga Drain can keep your health up high enough to avoid being revenge killed by priority users such as Scizor, Infernape, and Breloom.
Donphan @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Donphan is the team's physical tank and general utility Poke. With access to both Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin, Donphan accomplishes two major tasks. With Rapid Spin, this generally ensures that Ninetales and Volcarona don't get slammed by entry hazards, primarily SR, upon coming in. With SR, Donphan helps the offensive mons on this team by chipping down their checks and counters into KO range. Should Donphan still be around after those duties are fullfilled, he can then smack stuff around with EdgeQuake. Notable threats such as non-Ice Beam Tyranitar, Terrakion, and most Jirachi get held in check as long as Donphan is around. Donphan can also slam the likes of Dragonite and Salamence in a pinch should neither pack a special attack. The EVs reflect Donphan's main purpose as they are concentrated on physical bulk. However, 80 Attack EVs are used to let Donphan hit decently hard should he still be around after his Rapid Spin and SR duties are completed.
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Shard
Mamoswine may not seem at home on a Sun team, but its ability to ensure that Dragons, Therian formes, and Gliscor can never get out of hand is invaluable. Icicle Crash and EQ are STAB moves that hit incredibly hard off of Mamo's high Attack stat. Stone Edge is a neat move that can crush switch-ins expecting an Ice Shard instead(hi Politoed) Speaking of Ice Shard, it's the most important move on the set. Without it, Mamoswine would not be able to revenge kill all of the relevant threats it can take on. Haxorus, Salamence, Landorus, Tornadus, Thundurus-T, and Hydreigon are all among the legion of serious threats Mamoswine has no issues with revenge killing. Since Mamoswine rarely needs to outspeed its targets, Adamant is used as the nature for the power boost.
IMPORTABLE
Code:
Ninetales @ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Spd / 104 SDef
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 30 Spd
- Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Breloom @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Spore
- Low Sweep
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Trait: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Modest Nature
IVs: 30 Def / 30 SAtk / 30 SDef / 30 Spd
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
Volcarona @ Life Orb
Trait: Flame Body
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
Donphan @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Mamoswine @ Life Orb
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Ice Shard
