I would like to showcase a team that I have loved using on ladder because it's a pretty unique take on a previously popular archetype and one of my favorite teams I ever built for National Dex alongside the stall and 4v4. This team has brought me far on ladder, peaking at #2 with 1976 ELO and restoring my GXE from 82% to 87% rofl.
teambuilding process
The idea to build a team with Gastrodon and Spikes started somewhere in week 1 of NDWC. I believe Stareal was facing someone that really liked stuff like Rotom-W VoltTurn, which is why Gastrodon was part of the core idea we picked. You don't really make progress with Gastrodon just by cockblocking Rotom-W, so you really do need something to punish and wear down its teammates, Spikes is one of the best ways to do this.
The original idea for a Spiker was Ferrothorn, but that became really awkward with the rest of the team, not really sure what it was about exactly anymore. Eventually I figured Mew could work despite not having a true Steel-type because specially defensive Mew is fine paired with Volcarona against Tapu Lele. God forbid it's Calm Mind Tapu Lele though.
Clefable is a very logical fit for the next slot. It compresses a Dark resist and Stealth Rock user. It's also just a generally good Pokemon against stuff like Mega Medicham, defensive Landorus-T, Slowbro, etc. and blocks Ferrothorn's Leech Seed to boot.
The matchup against Pokemon like Swords Dance Garchomp, Landorus-T, etc. is still really wacky with these 3 in place. Mega Latias is a good check to those Pokemon and is in general just a very deadly and threatening Pokemon when Spikes are up.
The last 2 Pokemon came together on the team pretty well. I knew I wanted a Pressure Pokemon for Defog, and Zapdos happened to be a great fit. Weavile still looked really annoying, so the fact that SubRoost Zapdos can force it to Triple Axel made Volcarona a very enticing Pokemon to use, especially because it resists Fairy and beats mono Moonblast CM Clefable. SubRoost Zapdos is also not a very truthful check to Mega Scizor and Kartana and Volcarona helps with that. Flame Body is so good for this.
team in depth
Gastrodon @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 172 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Recover
- Clear Smog
So Gastrodon is a great Electric- and Water-type immunity, making it a great contributor in matchups against VoltTurn and Rain teams. It is also very useful against Volcarona, CM Clefable, CM Mega Latias, etc. thanks to Clear Smog and its great special bulk. The EV spread lets it live a +1 Psyshock into a +0 Psyshock from Mega Latias, and the Speed EVs are just a little creep for opposing Gastrodon. Not having Earthquake is sometimes annoying because of Heatran, but between Mew removing its Leftovers or Clefable tricking it a Sticky Barb coupled with hazards and a SubRoost Zapdos, this team usually does outlast it.
Mew @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 148 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
- Spikes
Mew is an underutilized Pokemon in National Dex, but I find it very understandable seeing as it does not have a very defined profile, generally it can do anything but it can also only do one or two things at once. I find this set very effective and probably the best Mew set I've used, it is extremely effective on this team. It has Knock Off to get rid of Heavy-Duty Boots, CM Clefable's Life Orb, etc. It can generally find opportunities to setup Spikes on more passive stuff like utility Clefable and Slowbro. It contributes even more to this team's gameplan thanks to the combination of Colbur Berry and Will-O-Wisp, letting it cripple Weavile and (Mega) Tyranitar, which can enable very good winning positions for Mega Latias and Zapdos.
Clefable @ Sticky Barb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock
- Trick
Somehow Clefable is just perpetually good. It resists Dark, is incredibly annoying for weaker defensive presences like defensive Landorus-T to deal with, and is really good at keeping up Stealth Rock against the popular removal options. Trick + Sticky Barb is great for a team like this because you get to force consistent chip on things like Heatran, Toxapex, Corviknight, Gastrodon, Gliscor, etc.
Latias-Mega (F) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Recover
- Calm Mind
I don't really think there's much to explain about Mega Latias's set in particular, but usually people would probably pick Thunder or Stored Power over Psyshock, but I personally believe that Psyshock is the strongest option for Mega Latias, especially on this team. I value the pressure you exert on Toxapex with Psyshock a lot, and it also gives you a great upperhand against other Calm Mind users like Clefable. I usually don't really like Ice Beam on Mega Latias too much because the pressure Aura Sphere puts on Weavile and Tyranitar is super valuable. However, with a team that pushes burns on them very effectively, the defensive utility gained from Ice Beam against Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Gliscor is far more valuable. Spikes and Sticky Barb wear down checks like Heatran very quickly and turn this into an insane wincondition.
Zapdos @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 196 SpD / 72 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Hurricane
- Substitute
- Roost
God Zapdos. I love this set far too much and it is sooo good on a team like this with Spikes. Zapdos in general contributes a lot with Pressure to drain Defog PP quickly, but it does a lot more than just that for this team. It PP stalls Magma Storm from Heatran, turning Clefable into an effective check, PP stalls general utility Clefable, and smashes the fuck out of rain. The Ground-types in this tier are generally soft and don't take repeated Hurricanes very well, the only one that does is Gliscor, and if it gets a Sticky Barb tricked onto it, it too is pressured very well. You would say something like Clefable could generally check this, but with the amount of chances this gets to go for ParaFusion hax, you will usually get through it.
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Quiver Dance
Fuck Melmetal, Mega Mawile, and Mega Scizor. This is a pretty standard Roost Volcarona set, though they are usually slower. I like this Speed tier because it outspeeds offensive Landorus-T, but most importantly Tapu Lele and Kyurem. I must admit that the additional physical bulk is sometimes missed, though. Although this team has all the tools to afford Psychic over Hidden Power Ground in theory, I like Hidden Power Ground more because it puts enough pressure on Toxapex with Spikes and Sticky Barb and the immediate damage you can push onto Heatran and Mega Diancie is valuable.
team in action
I have used this team on ladder, so ofcourse there are a bunch of replays of me using it. I can't be bothered to sort through them all, so I'll simply post a couple that convey the point and gameplan of this team well.
s/o to everyone who makes this site worth using
The idea to build a team with Gastrodon and Spikes started somewhere in week 1 of NDWC. I believe Stareal was facing someone that really liked stuff like Rotom-W VoltTurn, which is why Gastrodon was part of the core idea we picked. You don't really make progress with Gastrodon just by cockblocking Rotom-W, so you really do need something to punish and wear down its teammates, Spikes is one of the best ways to do this.
The original idea for a Spiker was Ferrothorn, but that became really awkward with the rest of the team, not really sure what it was about exactly anymore. Eventually I figured Mew could work despite not having a true Steel-type because specially defensive Mew is fine paired with Volcarona against Tapu Lele. God forbid it's Calm Mind Tapu Lele though.
Clefable is a very logical fit for the next slot. It compresses a Dark resist and Stealth Rock user. It's also just a generally good Pokemon against stuff like Mega Medicham, defensive Landorus-T, Slowbro, etc. and blocks Ferrothorn's Leech Seed to boot.
The matchup against Pokemon like Swords Dance Garchomp, Landorus-T, etc. is still really wacky with these 3 in place. Mega Latias is a good check to those Pokemon and is in general just a very deadly and threatening Pokemon when Spikes are up.
The last 2 Pokemon came together on the team pretty well. I knew I wanted a Pressure Pokemon for Defog, and Zapdos happened to be a great fit. Weavile still looked really annoying, so the fact that SubRoost Zapdos can force it to Triple Axel made Volcarona a very enticing Pokemon to use, especially because it resists Fairy and beats mono Moonblast CM Clefable. SubRoost Zapdos is also not a very truthful check to Mega Scizor and Kartana and Volcarona helps with that. Flame Body is so good for this.
team in depth
Gastrodon @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 172 SpD / 12 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Recover
- Clear Smog
So Gastrodon is a great Electric- and Water-type immunity, making it a great contributor in matchups against VoltTurn and Rain teams. It is also very useful against Volcarona, CM Clefable, CM Mega Latias, etc. thanks to Clear Smog and its great special bulk. The EV spread lets it live a +1 Psyshock into a +0 Psyshock from Mega Latias, and the Speed EVs are just a little creep for opposing Gastrodon. Not having Earthquake is sometimes annoying because of Heatran, but between Mew removing its Leftovers or Clefable tricking it a Sticky Barb coupled with hazards and a SubRoost Zapdos, this team usually does outlast it.
Mew @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 148 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
- Spikes
Mew is an underutilized Pokemon in National Dex, but I find it very understandable seeing as it does not have a very defined profile, generally it can do anything but it can also only do one or two things at once. I find this set very effective and probably the best Mew set I've used, it is extremely effective on this team. It has Knock Off to get rid of Heavy-Duty Boots, CM Clefable's Life Orb, etc. It can generally find opportunities to setup Spikes on more passive stuff like utility Clefable and Slowbro. It contributes even more to this team's gameplan thanks to the combination of Colbur Berry and Will-O-Wisp, letting it cripple Weavile and (Mega) Tyranitar, which can enable very good winning positions for Mega Latias and Zapdos.
Clefable @ Sticky Barb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Stealth Rock
- Trick
Somehow Clefable is just perpetually good. It resists Dark, is incredibly annoying for weaker defensive presences like defensive Landorus-T to deal with, and is really good at keeping up Stealth Rock against the popular removal options. Trick + Sticky Barb is great for a team like this because you get to force consistent chip on things like Heatran, Toxapex, Corviknight, Gastrodon, Gliscor, etc.
Latias-Mega (F) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Recover
- Calm Mind
I don't really think there's much to explain about Mega Latias's set in particular, but usually people would probably pick Thunder or Stored Power over Psyshock, but I personally believe that Psyshock is the strongest option for Mega Latias, especially on this team. I value the pressure you exert on Toxapex with Psyshock a lot, and it also gives you a great upperhand against other Calm Mind users like Clefable. I usually don't really like Ice Beam on Mega Latias too much because the pressure Aura Sphere puts on Weavile and Tyranitar is super valuable. However, with a team that pushes burns on them very effectively, the defensive utility gained from Ice Beam against Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Gliscor is far more valuable. Spikes and Sticky Barb wear down checks like Heatran very quickly and turn this into an insane wincondition.
Zapdos @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 196 SpD / 72 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Hurricane
- Substitute
- Roost
God Zapdos. I love this set far too much and it is sooo good on a team like this with Spikes. Zapdos in general contributes a lot with Pressure to drain Defog PP quickly, but it does a lot more than just that for this team. It PP stalls Magma Storm from Heatran, turning Clefable into an effective check, PP stalls general utility Clefable, and smashes the fuck out of rain. The Ground-types in this tier are generally soft and don't take repeated Hurricanes very well, the only one that does is Gliscor, and if it gets a Sticky Barb tricked onto it, it too is pressured very well. You would say something like Clefable could generally check this, but with the amount of chances this gets to go for ParaFusion hax, you will usually get through it.
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Roost
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Quiver Dance
Fuck Melmetal, Mega Mawile, and Mega Scizor. This is a pretty standard Roost Volcarona set, though they are usually slower. I like this Speed tier because it outspeeds offensive Landorus-T, but most importantly Tapu Lele and Kyurem. I must admit that the additional physical bulk is sometimes missed, though. Although this team has all the tools to afford Psychic over Hidden Power Ground in theory, I like Hidden Power Ground more because it puts enough pressure on Toxapex with Spikes and Sticky Barb and the immediate damage you can push onto Heatran and Mega Diancie is valuable.
team in action
I have used this team on ladder, so ofcourse there are a bunch of replays of me using it. I can't be bothered to sort through them all, so I'll simply post a couple that convey the point and gameplan of this team well.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1577448158-0dr0z7ternzcdttrvgl0bxqn02nb6i0pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1575332003-vyhnr3r5vrvrgby9rgl7bl1d98nlveppw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1574009022-iwfjut1wozlcfzgogxn4jhmtpwv2s5xpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1570290185-dxxs7ote5c4pp0bz0qbchspxfx0ta2mpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1567071648-8ufieybld2dv2qd8cavai78bgs5vk7apw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1567064132-8smm41g9fztoynehfmbg8061xt5iakhpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1575332003-vyhnr3r5vrvrgby9rgl7bl1d98nlveppw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1574009022-iwfjut1wozlcfzgogxn4jhmtpwv2s5xpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1570290185-dxxs7ote5c4pp0bz0qbchspxfx0ta2mpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1567071648-8ufieybld2dv2qd8cavai78bgs5vk7apw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-1567064132-8smm41g9fztoynehfmbg8061xt5iakhpw
s/o to everyone who makes this site worth using
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