This team primarily utilizes two things: gradual damage, and abusing Pokemon with monstrous stats but pitiful Speed. Combined, they make a nasty combination, one that rarely gets stopped (except by Klefki and Aegislash, but that's neither here nor there). Anywhere, here they are:
Abomasnow [Hi it's Snow] (M) @ Abomasite
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 4 Sp. Def
Quiet Nature
- Blizzard
- Focus Blast
- Energy Ball
- Protect
Always lead with this, for obvious reasons. To be frank, he tends to be the weak link. Ironic, seeing how Blizzard was the main reason I started this team, and now he's the only one who knows it. To be fair, his Blizzard does pack a punch, and with his 100% accuracy, once Trick Room's up, he'll often one-shot anything that's weak to it, while severely harming anything that's not. Energy Ball's for the odd Water, and Focus Blast is for just further coverage. Protect is standard, of course. But really, the only reason this guy exists is to get the hail going. 9/10 opening plays will be Protecting with him and Trick Rooming with one of the others. Then, if I can get a good kill in, I'll do so; otherwise, I get him out of there and bring in something more efficient while keeping him alive to kick the snow back in later. On the rare occasion that I feel my opponent will read a Protect and set up, I may just go ahead and use Blizzard anyway even before Trick Room clocks in.
Carbink [I Got a Rock] @ Light Clay
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 Sp. Def
Relaxed Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Stealth Rock
- Trick Room
One of my two alternate leads. I Got a Rock is, as you can tell, mostly just there for support. Thanks to his bulk, unless a freak Steel move shows up and whacks him, or he flinches, he'll usually get his Trick Room off. Depending on how things went the last turn, that's when I start making decisions. If he was hardly touched, I'll start setup depending on the team (prioritizing Stealth Rock if they have Talonflame, Light Screen if they have more Special Attackers, etc.) until I'm at a low enough health. At that point, if it's urgent I get a setup (like that Talonflame, I would NEED Stealth Rocks up and ready), I'll risk his life to finish setup; otherwise I'll take him back to heckle another day.
Reuniclus [ADAM] (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Sp. Atk / 252 Sp. Def
Sassy Nature
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Recover
- Trick Room
My other alternate lead. Generally, I go with I Got a Rock if I feel the need for setup or if I sense a physical attacker coming, whereas if I sense a special attacker coming, I lead with ADAM, who takes special attacks like a boss. Magic Guard is simply magical; not only does it let ADAM use Life Orb for free, but it makes him immune to that hail! Meaning that if I play my cards right, if I get into a dire situation, I can just spam Recover until hail weathers (har) my opponent away. That shouldn't be necessary, though, since his massive bulk will let him survive most special attacks with ease, while his natural special attack (plus Life Orb) will make Psychic hurt a lot. Focus Blast exists for coverage, primarily for pesky Steel-types (except Aegislash, grr).
Scrafty [Thugnificent] (M) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 Sp. Def
Sassy Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Fake-Out
- Crunch
- Rest
Gaze upon his goggles, and despair.
You can't handle the absolute magnitude that is this pair of goggles. They will destroy you.
In all seriousness, the Safety Goggles have been ignored in lieu of other new items such as Weakness Policy and Assault Vest. While the usefulness of those items can't be denied, these goggles deserve to be recognized as well. Not only do they block Scrafty from Spore, Sleep Powder, and other powder-based moves, it more importantly keeps him save from Hail damage. You may be beginning to see a pattern here: despite there being only two Ice Pokemon on this team, the only Pokemon who gets damaged by hail is Carbink, the massive wall for whom HP percentage loss means little. This gives me the basic advantage of being able to use stall tactics to let my opponent whittle away, or simply go on the offensive and use hail damage to break through sashes or just finish off weakened opponents.
Fake-Out, as everyone knows, is amazing in Doubles, while High Jump Kick and Crunch are his two STABs. I'd consider removing Crunch for another move, but having an Aegislash counter is always helpful (that being said, unless I team up on the Aegislash, a Sacred Sword will probably be waiting to destroy Thugnificent regardless). Rest is there to abuse with Shed Skin, Scrafty's severely underrated non-Moxie ability. Yes, Moxie's much better for Dragon-Dancing sweepers, but since Thugnificent is Trick-Sweeping, and Dragon Dance isn't happening, being able to reload his bulk is a blast. Even if I don't get the 1/3 chance of waking up immediately after sleeping (which of course raises exponentially each passing turn), in the time it takes for them to beat through his bulk, I'll have another Pokemon out doing tons of damage. Or if something scary shows up (like Fairies), I'll just switch him out and let him nap it out until later. Besides, being able to laugh off Paralysis and Burns through Shed Skin is just too priceless to let go.
Excavalier [Gan Fall] (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
- Knock Off
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Fell Stinger
Oh hey, I was just talking about Assault Vest. This is becoming one of my favorite items, because it can make physical tanks total tanks, special tanks completely impenetrable special tanks, and balanced tanks alarmingly capable of taking a special hit. This is a case of the latter. 344 HP might not be that much to write home about, but combined with his fantastic typing that makes most things either hit neutral or weak, an admirable 247 Defense, and a ridiculous 369 Special Defense courtesy of Assault Vest, he comes out ready to take on the world. And he will, with an equally ridiculous 405 attack and Megahorn. The only downside to offset these amazing stats is his pitiful speed oh wait Trick Room lol. Once Trick Room's out, I can reliably bring this guy out into a war zone, sponge any incoming attacks, and respond with gusto. He single-handedly (well, with Avalugg's help, but I'll get to him in a moment) wrecks entire teams. And thanks to his ability, not only does he shrug off Spores, but he, you guessed it, isn't harmed by Hail. Enjoy the rage.
Knock Off, aside from good coverage, is a great wall-stopper, ridding them of their Leftovers (and thanks to Knock Off's buff, it'll do 1.5x damage if it does so). It's also an adequate Aegislash counter (specifically, the only move other than Crunch that can actually damage it remotely). When given equal effectiveness, I judge between Megahorn and Iron Head on how desperate I am. If I need to one-shot something and damn the odds, I go Megahorn; if they have 50% or so health and a single decent attack will finish them, I go with Iron Head. And then you've got Fell Stinger. Between this, Power-Up Punch, and Charge Beam, Assault Vest can lead to some interesting uses. See, Assault Vest limits to attacking moves...but that doesn't mean you can't use said attacking moves to buff your own stats. That's why, if something is near death, I finish it off with Fell Stinger, doubling Gan Fall's already stupid attack to kill-you levels.
Avalugg [Aqua Plateau] (M) @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
- Ice Fang
- Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
Get it? He's flat, so he looks like a plateau, but he's not indigo, he's...aqua...colored.
...heh.
Anyway, you'll notice that Avalugg is built identically to Escavalier. The difference between them, though, lies in their base stats. Avalugg has slightly lower offense, but his defense is...astronomical. He puts Aggron and Deoxys-D to shame. He makes Tyranitar and Shield-Aegislash wet their pants and run home to mommy. He makes Forretress and Mega Scizor...you get my point. You may be pointing out that being Ice type, his weaknesses are far too many. You'd be correct, except that unless it's a Flamethrower pointed his way, he'll still take most of those super-effective hits in stride.
And I won't beat around the bush: special attacks will kill him. Period. But since ADAM is a dedicated Special Wall, and every other Pokemon on my team has respectable enough Special Defense to take any attack (except Abomasnow, screw that guy), there's no problem in switching him out in the face of a Special threat. That being said, with his bulk and attack, once Trick Room's up, he can dish out a ton of damage without fear of repercussion. Leftovers, Ice Body, Recover, and his inherent defenses make him a pain to kill, while his offense is more than enough to get the job done. Once Trick Room is up, he and Gan Fall clean up house with ease. While entry hazards aren't as common in doubles, you can never be too careful for a Rapid Spin. As for Ice Fang and Gyro Ball, it's a massive shame that Avalugg doesn't have a better physical ice move than Ice Fang. He has Avalanche, yes, but it's useless when attacking first (plus doesn't have the random flinch/freeze effect, which has actually saved me from time to time). However, if anyone has replacement suggestions for Ice Fang, I'd be all ears.
So, there's my team. Thoughts? Suggestions? Critique?
Abomasnow [Hi it's Snow] (M) @ Abomasite
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 4 Sp. Def
Quiet Nature
- Blizzard
- Focus Blast
- Energy Ball
- Protect
Always lead with this, for obvious reasons. To be frank, he tends to be the weak link. Ironic, seeing how Blizzard was the main reason I started this team, and now he's the only one who knows it. To be fair, his Blizzard does pack a punch, and with his 100% accuracy, once Trick Room's up, he'll often one-shot anything that's weak to it, while severely harming anything that's not. Energy Ball's for the odd Water, and Focus Blast is for just further coverage. Protect is standard, of course. But really, the only reason this guy exists is to get the hail going. 9/10 opening plays will be Protecting with him and Trick Rooming with one of the others. Then, if I can get a good kill in, I'll do so; otherwise, I get him out of there and bring in something more efficient while keeping him alive to kick the snow back in later. On the rare occasion that I feel my opponent will read a Protect and set up, I may just go ahead and use Blizzard anyway even before Trick Room clocks in.
Carbink [I Got a Rock] @ Light Clay
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 Sp. Def
Relaxed Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Stealth Rock
- Trick Room
One of my two alternate leads. I Got a Rock is, as you can tell, mostly just there for support. Thanks to his bulk, unless a freak Steel move shows up and whacks him, or he flinches, he'll usually get his Trick Room off. Depending on how things went the last turn, that's when I start making decisions. If he was hardly touched, I'll start setup depending on the team (prioritizing Stealth Rock if they have Talonflame, Light Screen if they have more Special Attackers, etc.) until I'm at a low enough health. At that point, if it's urgent I get a setup (like that Talonflame, I would NEED Stealth Rocks up and ready), I'll risk his life to finish setup; otherwise I'll take him back to heckle another day.
Reuniclus [ADAM] (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Sp. Atk / 252 Sp. Def
Sassy Nature
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Recover
- Trick Room
My other alternate lead. Generally, I go with I Got a Rock if I feel the need for setup or if I sense a physical attacker coming, whereas if I sense a special attacker coming, I lead with ADAM, who takes special attacks like a boss. Magic Guard is simply magical; not only does it let ADAM use Life Orb for free, but it makes him immune to that hail! Meaning that if I play my cards right, if I get into a dire situation, I can just spam Recover until hail weathers (har) my opponent away. That shouldn't be necessary, though, since his massive bulk will let him survive most special attacks with ease, while his natural special attack (plus Life Orb) will make Psychic hurt a lot. Focus Blast exists for coverage, primarily for pesky Steel-types (except Aegislash, grr).
Scrafty [Thugnificent] (M) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 Sp. Def
Sassy Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Fake-Out
- Crunch
- Rest
Gaze upon his goggles, and despair.
You can't handle the absolute magnitude that is this pair of goggles. They will destroy you.
In all seriousness, the Safety Goggles have been ignored in lieu of other new items such as Weakness Policy and Assault Vest. While the usefulness of those items can't be denied, these goggles deserve to be recognized as well. Not only do they block Scrafty from Spore, Sleep Powder, and other powder-based moves, it more importantly keeps him save from Hail damage. You may be beginning to see a pattern here: despite there being only two Ice Pokemon on this team, the only Pokemon who gets damaged by hail is Carbink, the massive wall for whom HP percentage loss means little. This gives me the basic advantage of being able to use stall tactics to let my opponent whittle away, or simply go on the offensive and use hail damage to break through sashes or just finish off weakened opponents.
Fake-Out, as everyone knows, is amazing in Doubles, while High Jump Kick and Crunch are his two STABs. I'd consider removing Crunch for another move, but having an Aegislash counter is always helpful (that being said, unless I team up on the Aegislash, a Sacred Sword will probably be waiting to destroy Thugnificent regardless). Rest is there to abuse with Shed Skin, Scrafty's severely underrated non-Moxie ability. Yes, Moxie's much better for Dragon-Dancing sweepers, but since Thugnificent is Trick-Sweeping, and Dragon Dance isn't happening, being able to reload his bulk is a blast. Even if I don't get the 1/3 chance of waking up immediately after sleeping (which of course raises exponentially each passing turn), in the time it takes for them to beat through his bulk, I'll have another Pokemon out doing tons of damage. Or if something scary shows up (like Fairies), I'll just switch him out and let him nap it out until later. Besides, being able to laugh off Paralysis and Burns through Shed Skin is just too priceless to let go.
Excavalier [Gan Fall] (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
- Knock Off
- Megahorn
- Iron Head
- Fell Stinger
Oh hey, I was just talking about Assault Vest. This is becoming one of my favorite items, because it can make physical tanks total tanks, special tanks completely impenetrable special tanks, and balanced tanks alarmingly capable of taking a special hit. This is a case of the latter. 344 HP might not be that much to write home about, but combined with his fantastic typing that makes most things either hit neutral or weak, an admirable 247 Defense, and a ridiculous 369 Special Defense courtesy of Assault Vest, he comes out ready to take on the world. And he will, with an equally ridiculous 405 attack and Megahorn. The only downside to offset these amazing stats is his pitiful speed oh wait Trick Room lol. Once Trick Room's out, I can reliably bring this guy out into a war zone, sponge any incoming attacks, and respond with gusto. He single-handedly (well, with Avalugg's help, but I'll get to him in a moment) wrecks entire teams. And thanks to his ability, not only does he shrug off Spores, but he, you guessed it, isn't harmed by Hail. Enjoy the rage.
Knock Off, aside from good coverage, is a great wall-stopper, ridding them of their Leftovers (and thanks to Knock Off's buff, it'll do 1.5x damage if it does so). It's also an adequate Aegislash counter (specifically, the only move other than Crunch that can actually damage it remotely). When given equal effectiveness, I judge between Megahorn and Iron Head on how desperate I am. If I need to one-shot something and damn the odds, I go Megahorn; if they have 50% or so health and a single decent attack will finish them, I go with Iron Head. And then you've got Fell Stinger. Between this, Power-Up Punch, and Charge Beam, Assault Vest can lead to some interesting uses. See, Assault Vest limits to attacking moves...but that doesn't mean you can't use said attacking moves to buff your own stats. That's why, if something is near death, I finish it off with Fell Stinger, doubling Gan Fall's already stupid attack to kill-you levels.
Avalugg [Aqua Plateau] (M) @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
- Ice Fang
- Gyro Ball
- Rapid Spin
- Recover
Get it? He's flat, so he looks like a plateau, but he's not indigo, he's...aqua...colored.
...heh.
Anyway, you'll notice that Avalugg is built identically to Escavalier. The difference between them, though, lies in their base stats. Avalugg has slightly lower offense, but his defense is...astronomical. He puts Aggron and Deoxys-D to shame. He makes Tyranitar and Shield-Aegislash wet their pants and run home to mommy. He makes Forretress and Mega Scizor...you get my point. You may be pointing out that being Ice type, his weaknesses are far too many. You'd be correct, except that unless it's a Flamethrower pointed his way, he'll still take most of those super-effective hits in stride.
And I won't beat around the bush: special attacks will kill him. Period. But since ADAM is a dedicated Special Wall, and every other Pokemon on my team has respectable enough Special Defense to take any attack (except Abomasnow, screw that guy), there's no problem in switching him out in the face of a Special threat. That being said, with his bulk and attack, once Trick Room's up, he can dish out a ton of damage without fear of repercussion. Leftovers, Ice Body, Recover, and his inherent defenses make him a pain to kill, while his offense is more than enough to get the job done. Once Trick Room is up, he and Gan Fall clean up house with ease. While entry hazards aren't as common in doubles, you can never be too careful for a Rapid Spin. As for Ice Fang and Gyro Ball, it's a massive shame that Avalugg doesn't have a better physical ice move than Ice Fang. He has Avalanche, yes, but it's useless when attacking first (plus doesn't have the random flinch/freeze effect, which has actually saved me from time to time). However, if anyone has replacement suggestions for Ice Fang, I'd be all ears.
So, there's my team. Thoughts? Suggestions? Critique?
