Introduction
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Team Building Process
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I once again started with my favourite core. They synergise perfectly and their 4x weaknesses are covered with immunities or 4x resists on another Pokemon. They are also very hard hitters and are also incredibly bulky. That made them the perfect candidate for my bulky offensive team.
I looked at the usage statistics over at Pokemon Online and saw that there were some major threats that I wasn't dealing with. The most noticable were CM Reuniclus and Bulk Up Conkeldurr used in tandem as well as Choice Specs Latios. I searched through the Pokedex in ordeer to find something that could counter all of these. I then saw Sub Disable Gengar and experimented with it, only to add Pain Split to also counter Stall teams a little better.
I found a few threats worrying, especially Sandstorm Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Excadrill. Conkeldurr made a great candidate to counter these two dominant threats. It also has a reputation for being a game ender so I knew he was perfect. He acts as a revenger as well meaning he fills so many roles.
I really had nothing much that I needed to counter anymore so I started to look at the odd stat up sweepers, such as Cloyster and Scizor. They were all easily handled by Quagsire, thanks to his new ability Unaware. Not only that but he had a plethora of moves that while obscure, were abusable. He is more of a defensive Pokemon, but he does do a good job at what he needs to do.
Jellicent + Ferrothorn in tandem were starting to cause me trouble as well as things such as Gliscor. I knew that all the Pokemon on my team were essential so it was really hard to replace a Pokemon. In the end Conkeldurr had to leave for Virizion. Virizion still counters all the things that COnkeldurr did, as well as Gliscor and Breloom. He also handles the Jellicent + Ferrothorn combo.
Team At A Glance
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In Depth Analysis
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Garchomp (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Dual Chop
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Garchomp's recognition as Uber's material last generation isn't really surprising. With reasonable bulk, a great attacking stat coupled with great STAB moves and the perfect speed stat of 102, it leaves Garchomp with many roles to fill on the team. Garchomp functions as a revenge killer as well as a late game sweeper. His great speed stat means that he outpaces all Dragon's bar Lati@s after a Dragon Dance thanks to his Choice Scarf. This gives him the ability to reign supreme amongst all Dragon's, seeing as how Dragon Dance Lati@s is non-existent. This forces many switches and allows me a free turn to out predict the opponent and cripple their switch-in, most times putting them into KO range.
His movepool is mostly standard. Outrage hits anything hard, seeing as how there a yet to be any 4x resistors or Dragon's. Outrage is also the choice of move late game when the opponents team has been weakened and are helpless against him. Dual Chop while seemingly a weird choice has its benefits over the likes of Dragon Claw. While it has a shakier accuracy stat, it's ability to hit two times means that he is able to handle Substitute abusers, Focus Sash users and Multi Scale Dragonite. It also means that there is a higher chance to get a critical hit, and although some may complain about a haxxy game, it's better to have the haxx in your favour. Earthquake is the secondary STAB move that is coupled with Outrage. Its power is tantamount to Outrage and offers near perfect coverage with it. While there are a lot of Pokemon immune to Earthquake now, it is still invaluable to this team. Stone Edge, while doing little for covering the few Pokemon Garchomp can't touch, benefits the team as a whole. Rough Sking, while seemingly a weird choice, actually allows me to take my foe down with me at the most dire of times. That and the fact that I find Sand Veil useless with a Scarfed Garchomp are why I went with Rough Skin.
Without Garchomp Nasty Plot Thunderus as well as Quiver Dance Volcarona are threats to this team. Stone Edge OHKO's Volcarona with ease and brings most Thunderus into KO range. I have noticed a few Thunderus are starting to EV themselves to just take a Stone Edge from Garchomp and OHKO back with Hidden Power Ice. However it's nothing much to worry about, seeing as how Quagsire is still a good check to Thunderus. Garchomp also handles and dispatches all Dragon's such as Garchomp, Dragonite and Lati@s with ease. He mocks things such as Scarf Chandelure and Speed Boost Blaziken aswell, easily outpacing and replying with a swift OHKO. If Garchomp is at full health and Excadrill no longer has an Air Balloon and no boosts he can also handle any move and OHKO in return.
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 156 HP / 168 Def / 184 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
- Waterfall
- Bounce
BulkyDos makes a return to Pokemon this generation. A threat since Gen 1, he has continuously found use from generation to generation and many realise what a threat he is. The fact that Gyarados has raw power and doesn't require any boosts to take a chunk out of the opponent means that many still fear him prior to a Dragon Dance. Not only that but his acceptable defences and his amazing ability, Intimidate, makes him a behemoth. Intimidate is the key to using Gyarados on this team. His ability to render something useless makes him a valuable asset to this team. Without any investment and lack of stat upping move, there are few Pokemon that can do more than 15% to Gyarados on a neutral attack.
Dragon Dance is easily set up thanks to Gyarados' great defences. Dragon Dance boosts his two most important stats, attack and speed. His ability to boost his most important stats meant that it was a no brainer slotting him into this team. Taunt, while seemingly strange, offers Gyarados the ability to stand its own against the likes of Whirlwind Skarmory and Leech Seed Ferrothorn. It prevents any attempts at phazing, as well as most forms of status. Waterfall is a mandatory move for Gyarados. It doesnt matter what set you run, Waterfall needs to find its way on it. Waterfall by itself has the ability to tear through an opponents team thanks to the STAB boost it gets. With its chance to flinch an opponent aswell means that there really is no other reason to use something like Aqua Tail. Bounce while offering great STAB, also offers so much more. Not only does it give me a chance to give Gyarados a second turn of Leftovers recovery, it also functions as a ParaHax set in tandem with Waterfall. While the odds aren't as good as Serene Grace Jirachi, it's still helpful. The EV's are put into defence seeing as how Gyarados already has a way to boost its attack.
The most important Pokemon that Gyarados checks for this team is Breloom. Without him, Breloom would steamroll this team. As long as some other Pokemon receives the Spore, Gyarados will be able to outpace and miss the Bullet Seed and OHKO with a Bounce. He is also a good check to Scizor and most Fighting type Pokemon such as Conkeldurr as well as Heatran. He functions well against Rain teams, thanks to the boosted Waterfall and his ability to take a few hits. All in all Gyarados handles almost all physical threats, thanks to Intimidate.
Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Overheat
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Heatran's role on this team isn't an easy task. He sponges so many hits that it is surprising that he is still around most games. I rely on him as my single Dragon resist and have found little need to run another. The fact that he has found his own niche as a bulky Fire Pokemon means that there really wasn't any other choice besides him. Not only does he take hits, he also decimates switch-ins to him. His resistances plus immunities means that he forces a lot of switches, meaning that he can fire of attacks without any repercussions. His rather shallow movepool is a bit of a let down, but he makes do with what he has been given.
Heatran's all important role on this team is to set up Stealth Rock's. While they aren't as game changing as they were in 4th generation, they still are game changing. With the focus of my team being forcing switches, Stealth Rock's soon find themselves racking up damage. Overheat is the STAB of choice. This is simply due to the fact that Heatran functions as a 'hit and run' type of Pokemon. People will switch in a counter to Heatran when they see him, so it only makes sense to hit hard and run. Although there are times I wish that I had Fire blast over Overheat, most times Overheat is more beneficial. Earth Power gives good coverage along side Overheat, covering fellow Fire type Pokemon. Hidden Power Ice gives me the ability to dispatch of Outrage locked Dragon's in a second. I chose Hidden Power Ice overs Dragon Pulse because Ice can also hit Grass and Flying types hard, while Dragon Pulse only hits Dragon's. While its base power is lacking compared to Dragon Pulse, the fact that there are Pokemon that are 4x weak means that it is a feasible option over Dragon Pulse.
Heatran checks most status moves most importantly. Will-O-Wisp and Toxic are asking for Heatran to switch into and fire off an attack. He's a good check to Steel types such as Ferrothorn, Forretress and Scizor aswell as the near perfect counter to Genesect, all of which aren't able to even scratch Heatran. He also handles +6 Serperior's with ease, due to the fact most carry Hidden Power Fire, meaning he's just fodder. While Heatran doesn't counter as many threats, he does have to take a lot of hits from most Pokemon such as Psychic, Ghost, Dark hits etc. which is crucial to this team.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Disable
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
Gengar already looks menacing. His red eyes signify the blood and hatred he has for other Pokemon. His amazing immunities and resistances means he finds himself switching in and forcing many switches. There are few Pokemon that carry more than one move that is deadly to Gengar and that is why he carries that grin. While he does have paper thin defences, he has juggernaut offences. His speed means he's rarely outsped by anything, and his attack means that the opponent is rarely still there after an attack or two.
While this set may seem obscure and rather stuck together, it functions and carries out what needs to be done. Substitute gives me many chance to scout an opponents team. The fact that he has many immunities means that he can Substitute up while the opponent switches and then handle the opponent from there. Pain Split and Disable used collectively is the highlight of this set. While you may argue he only needs one, for my set he needs both. Disable allows me to check those Pokemon that only have one move to hit Gengar, forcing switches. It also helps others on my team to switch in to a certain Pokemon that would otherwise be threatening. Pain Split handles stall relatively well, thanks to Gengar's measly HP stat. Not only that, it increases Gengar's longevity as well as decreasing the opponents. Shadow Ball was the choice of attack, simply because of the fact that Gangar received the STAB. It gives him the ability to dispose of weakened threats and gives him an easier time against certain threats to this team. I slapped on a Life Orb, simply because Gengar has Pain Split and therefore can abuse it with very few cons.
Gengar's ability to check a vast array of Pokemon means that he counter a lot of Pokemon. Firstly he is a great counter to Choiced Pokemon, thanks to Disable. Disable also allows it to stop mono-attacker's sweeps as well as Pokemon with only one attack to hit Gengar with, such as Reuniclus and Conkeldurr. Those two are probably the most important thing that Gengar check for me. He also has the ability to check Magic Bounce Espeon and Jellicent as well as the omnipresent Lati@s pair. With a Substitute under his belt, he is able to counter a lot more threats such as Excadrill, but that sounds easier than it really is.
Virizion @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 60 HP / 36 Def / 220 SAtk / 192 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Virizion completes the FWG core which I have going as is probably one of the better Pokemon to do this. This is due to the fact that FWG cores are torn apart by weather teams, which Virizion is known to be able to counter very well, specifically Rain and Sandstorm. His acceptable defence, and stellar speed, attack and special defence make him a juggernaut on the field. While his ability is of absolutely no use, he still makes a great candidate for my team.
Calm Mind Virizion is feared by weather teams, and for a good reason too. The fact he can come in on so many typical weather Pokemon and set up with ease, meaning that he can easily dismantle an entire team after just a couple boosts. Calm Mind is the crux of this set, allowing Virizion to boost his defence to better handle weather teams, Rain especially. After two or three boosts, nothing short of a critical hit will be taking Virizion down. The fact that he is paired with the improved Giga Drain only heightens the usefulness of Virizion. It boost in power Giga Drain has received this generation makes it a great move, not only damaging the opponent, but also healing the user. While not as strong as other grass moves he may have in his arsenal, it is still a viable choice this generation. Focus Blast offers a shaky dual STAB combination. With a miserable 70% accuracy and minute 8 PP, Focus Blast is a rather high risk high reward move. When it comes down to it, Focus Blast makes or breaks games and really is up to the hand of God. However when things do work out, Focus Blast hits like a truck, severely punishing the opponent. Unfortunately Focus Blast is Virizion's only specially based Fighting move, so there really is no substitute. Hidden Power Ice is very standard on a Calm Mind Virizion, but I use it to check the threats that need to be checked. Hidden Power Ice at the end of the day was chosen to give Virizion the ability to counter the threats that I needed to counter. It wasn't for getting good coverage or power. It was to ensure that my team wasn't completely swept by omnipresent threats.
Virizion probably has to counter the most threats. He single-handedly decapitates weather teams, most notably Rain and Sandstorm, taking down not only the weather bringer but his whole team. He has to counter dominant threats such as sand sweepers like Excadrill and rain sweepers like Kingdra as well as walls such as Gliscor, who would otherwise wall this team to hell. He also handles the Jellicent + Ferrothorn core which are troublesome as well.
Quagsire (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stockpile
- Recover
- Swagger
- Scald
This is personally my favourite Pokemon on this team. He functions as a counter to so many physical threats and finds himself sweeping a lot of Pokemon, quite a few times the most. His great defences and ability to further boost it means that he is an all round tank. The crux of Quagsire is in his ability, Unaware. Ignoring all boosts means that he it's hard to muscle through him. He takes all physical hits like they're nothing and shrugs it off. When working with Quagsire you're never going to get enough power to sweep a team. So I thought about letting the opponent killing himself.
Stockpile is the basis for this set to work. Before this strategy can work, you need the ability to take hits a bit better. Stockpile can do this to an extent, boosting both wings of his defence to +3. From there Recover gives me a viable form of recovery and longevity, meaning that even if critical hits come into account Quagsire still won't go down. Swagger is the move that is doing all the damage. With Unaware, boosting the opponents attack to +6 is not a problem for me. However for the opponent, no matter how little their attack stat is, their due to at least severely cripple themselves. Many physical sweepers find themselves killing themselves rather than me killing them. Scald is there to prevent Taunters and allows me to handle physical threats even better, as well as crippling opponents. While it does measly damage to most Pokemon, it still is annoying for the opponent having to deal with a burn and confusion.
Quagsire handles many threats as well, handling stat upper's with ease. Baton Pass teams find themselves with nothing to do and the ever deadly Gorebyss Baton Pass strategy won't work. He handles threats such as Shell Smash Cloyster, who even with the critical hits, won't come close to 3HKOing. He also handles the likes of Swords Dance Garchomp, Specially Defensive Scizor, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Swords Dance Excadrill etc. Pokemon who also decide to invest in defense instead of attack find themselves unable to break through Quagsire as he laughingly mock them. With luck he is even able to handle Ferrothorn and Breloom with confusion hax, but it is a last resort kind of thing.
Threats
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Although this team has its counters for Breloom, I still have noticed the slightest Breloom weakness. The weakness comes from lack of Spore absorber, not from its power or moveset. However minor the weakness is, it can't go unnoticed because if I mispredict the Spore and Gyarados ends up asleep it's going to take a lot more prediction and effort than it should.
No, not a weakness to Roserade. I couldn't find a picture of Toxic Spikes so I used the Pokemon notorious for setting them up. Toxic Spikes are kind of the closest thing that comes to making me want to rage quit. They're my kryptonite, crippling most of my physical sweepers as well as my dedicated wall. It may seem amusing to you that such a minor thing can decapitate my team but I'm sure Toxic Spikes could slaughter your team as well under the hands of a good player.
Importable
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Final Glance
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Hello
Once again I come at you with another team in the attempts of making it better. The metagame hasn't changed drastically since my last RMT. The only addition to the ban list being Blaziken, whom I never seemed to view as being that much of a threat. This team has peaked at #1, like all of my previous 5th generation RMT's. My success probably is due to my understanding of the metagame right now. I have decided to try some really farfetched sets this time, and while seemingly gimmicky, actually function in the metagame at this current stage in time.
I decided to skim through the usage stats over at Pokemon Online the other day. Most of it could be guessed, Chandelure is #1 (unbanned over there) and Ferrothorn coming in at a close second place. I used this as a catalyst for my team building this time, making sure I could at least counter the top 20 threats most commonly used. I actually found it quite easy to counter most threats in only a few Pokemon, the hard thing was keeping the synergy to an acceptable degree. Patching up the team with only one Pokemon when there were numerous obscure weaknesses made it hard to choose a usable Pokemon. It was that reason solely that I decided to experiment with a wall. Not having the amazing synergy I normally have isn't much to worry about with a wall capable of taking any type of hit when his weaknesses are covered by teammates. However, running a wall isn't as simple as it sounds. If you're offensive minded, you will know that when you see a wall you take that opportunity to set up and sweep. So not only did you need a moveset for walling capabilities (recovery move), you also needed a moveset to dish out damage and hurt the opponent. So with that philosophy and my acceptable synergy, I decided to try this team out, and now you're up to date!
Once again I come at you with another team in the attempts of making it better. The metagame hasn't changed drastically since my last RMT. The only addition to the ban list being Blaziken, whom I never seemed to view as being that much of a threat. This team has peaked at #1, like all of my previous 5th generation RMT's. My success probably is due to my understanding of the metagame right now. I have decided to try some really farfetched sets this time, and while seemingly gimmicky, actually function in the metagame at this current stage in time.
I decided to skim through the usage stats over at Pokemon Online the other day. Most of it could be guessed, Chandelure is #1 (unbanned over there) and Ferrothorn coming in at a close second place. I used this as a catalyst for my team building this time, making sure I could at least counter the top 20 threats most commonly used. I actually found it quite easy to counter most threats in only a few Pokemon, the hard thing was keeping the synergy to an acceptable degree. Patching up the team with only one Pokemon when there were numerous obscure weaknesses made it hard to choose a usable Pokemon. It was that reason solely that I decided to experiment with a wall. Not having the amazing synergy I normally have isn't much to worry about with a wall capable of taking any type of hit when his weaknesses are covered by teammates. However, running a wall isn't as simple as it sounds. If you're offensive minded, you will know that when you see a wall you take that opportunity to set up and sweep. So not only did you need a moveset for walling capabilities (recovery move), you also needed a moveset to dish out damage and hurt the opponent. So with that philosophy and my acceptable synergy, I decided to try this team out, and now you're up to date!
Team Building Process
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I once again started with my favourite core. They synergise perfectly and their 4x weaknesses are covered with immunities or 4x resists on another Pokemon. They are also very hard hitters and are also incredibly bulky. That made them the perfect candidate for my bulky offensive team.
I looked at the usage statistics over at Pokemon Online and saw that there were some major threats that I wasn't dealing with. The most noticable were CM Reuniclus and Bulk Up Conkeldurr used in tandem as well as Choice Specs Latios. I searched through the Pokedex in ordeer to find something that could counter all of these. I then saw Sub Disable Gengar and experimented with it, only to add Pain Split to also counter Stall teams a little better.
I found a few threats worrying, especially Sandstorm Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Excadrill. Conkeldurr made a great candidate to counter these two dominant threats. It also has a reputation for being a game ender so I knew he was perfect. He acts as a revenger as well meaning he fills so many roles.
I really had nothing much that I needed to counter anymore so I started to look at the odd stat up sweepers, such as Cloyster and Scizor. They were all easily handled by Quagsire, thanks to his new ability Unaware. Not only that but he had a plethora of moves that while obscure, were abusable. He is more of a defensive Pokemon, but he does do a good job at what he needs to do.
Jellicent + Ferrothorn in tandem were starting to cause me trouble as well as things such as Gliscor. I knew that all the Pokemon on my team were essential so it was really hard to replace a Pokemon. In the end Conkeldurr had to leave for Virizion. Virizion still counters all the things that COnkeldurr did, as well as Gliscor and Breloom. He also handles the Jellicent + Ferrothorn combo.
Team At A Glance
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In Depth Analysis
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Garchomp (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Dual Chop
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Garchomp's recognition as Uber's material last generation isn't really surprising. With reasonable bulk, a great attacking stat coupled with great STAB moves and the perfect speed stat of 102, it leaves Garchomp with many roles to fill on the team. Garchomp functions as a revenge killer as well as a late game sweeper. His great speed stat means that he outpaces all Dragon's bar Lati@s after a Dragon Dance thanks to his Choice Scarf. This gives him the ability to reign supreme amongst all Dragon's, seeing as how Dragon Dance Lati@s is non-existent. This forces many switches and allows me a free turn to out predict the opponent and cripple their switch-in, most times putting them into KO range.
His movepool is mostly standard. Outrage hits anything hard, seeing as how there a yet to be any 4x resistors or Dragon's. Outrage is also the choice of move late game when the opponents team has been weakened and are helpless against him. Dual Chop while seemingly a weird choice has its benefits over the likes of Dragon Claw. While it has a shakier accuracy stat, it's ability to hit two times means that he is able to handle Substitute abusers, Focus Sash users and Multi Scale Dragonite. It also means that there is a higher chance to get a critical hit, and although some may complain about a haxxy game, it's better to have the haxx in your favour. Earthquake is the secondary STAB move that is coupled with Outrage. Its power is tantamount to Outrage and offers near perfect coverage with it. While there are a lot of Pokemon immune to Earthquake now, it is still invaluable to this team. Stone Edge, while doing little for covering the few Pokemon Garchomp can't touch, benefits the team as a whole. Rough Sking, while seemingly a weird choice, actually allows me to take my foe down with me at the most dire of times. That and the fact that I find Sand Veil useless with a Scarfed Garchomp are why I went with Rough Skin.
Without Garchomp Nasty Plot Thunderus as well as Quiver Dance Volcarona are threats to this team. Stone Edge OHKO's Volcarona with ease and brings most Thunderus into KO range. I have noticed a few Thunderus are starting to EV themselves to just take a Stone Edge from Garchomp and OHKO back with Hidden Power Ice. However it's nothing much to worry about, seeing as how Quagsire is still a good check to Thunderus. Garchomp also handles and dispatches all Dragon's such as Garchomp, Dragonite and Lati@s with ease. He mocks things such as Scarf Chandelure and Speed Boost Blaziken aswell, easily outpacing and replying with a swift OHKO. If Garchomp is at full health and Excadrill no longer has an Air Balloon and no boosts he can also handle any move and OHKO in return.
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 156 HP / 168 Def / 184 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
- Waterfall
- Bounce
BulkyDos makes a return to Pokemon this generation. A threat since Gen 1, he has continuously found use from generation to generation and many realise what a threat he is. The fact that Gyarados has raw power and doesn't require any boosts to take a chunk out of the opponent means that many still fear him prior to a Dragon Dance. Not only that but his acceptable defences and his amazing ability, Intimidate, makes him a behemoth. Intimidate is the key to using Gyarados on this team. His ability to render something useless makes him a valuable asset to this team. Without any investment and lack of stat upping move, there are few Pokemon that can do more than 15% to Gyarados on a neutral attack.
Dragon Dance is easily set up thanks to Gyarados' great defences. Dragon Dance boosts his two most important stats, attack and speed. His ability to boost his most important stats meant that it was a no brainer slotting him into this team. Taunt, while seemingly strange, offers Gyarados the ability to stand its own against the likes of Whirlwind Skarmory and Leech Seed Ferrothorn. It prevents any attempts at phazing, as well as most forms of status. Waterfall is a mandatory move for Gyarados. It doesnt matter what set you run, Waterfall needs to find its way on it. Waterfall by itself has the ability to tear through an opponents team thanks to the STAB boost it gets. With its chance to flinch an opponent aswell means that there really is no other reason to use something like Aqua Tail. Bounce while offering great STAB, also offers so much more. Not only does it give me a chance to give Gyarados a second turn of Leftovers recovery, it also functions as a ParaHax set in tandem with Waterfall. While the odds aren't as good as Serene Grace Jirachi, it's still helpful. The EV's are put into defence seeing as how Gyarados already has a way to boost its attack.
The most important Pokemon that Gyarados checks for this team is Breloom. Without him, Breloom would steamroll this team. As long as some other Pokemon receives the Spore, Gyarados will be able to outpace and miss the Bullet Seed and OHKO with a Bounce. He is also a good check to Scizor and most Fighting type Pokemon such as Conkeldurr as well as Heatran. He functions well against Rain teams, thanks to the boosted Waterfall and his ability to take a few hits. All in all Gyarados handles almost all physical threats, thanks to Intimidate.
Heatran (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Overheat
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Heatran's role on this team isn't an easy task. He sponges so many hits that it is surprising that he is still around most games. I rely on him as my single Dragon resist and have found little need to run another. The fact that he has found his own niche as a bulky Fire Pokemon means that there really wasn't any other choice besides him. Not only does he take hits, he also decimates switch-ins to him. His resistances plus immunities means that he forces a lot of switches, meaning that he can fire of attacks without any repercussions. His rather shallow movepool is a bit of a let down, but he makes do with what he has been given.
Heatran's all important role on this team is to set up Stealth Rock's. While they aren't as game changing as they were in 4th generation, they still are game changing. With the focus of my team being forcing switches, Stealth Rock's soon find themselves racking up damage. Overheat is the STAB of choice. This is simply due to the fact that Heatran functions as a 'hit and run' type of Pokemon. People will switch in a counter to Heatran when they see him, so it only makes sense to hit hard and run. Although there are times I wish that I had Fire blast over Overheat, most times Overheat is more beneficial. Earth Power gives good coverage along side Overheat, covering fellow Fire type Pokemon. Hidden Power Ice gives me the ability to dispatch of Outrage locked Dragon's in a second. I chose Hidden Power Ice overs Dragon Pulse because Ice can also hit Grass and Flying types hard, while Dragon Pulse only hits Dragon's. While its base power is lacking compared to Dragon Pulse, the fact that there are Pokemon that are 4x weak means that it is a feasible option over Dragon Pulse.
Heatran checks most status moves most importantly. Will-O-Wisp and Toxic are asking for Heatran to switch into and fire off an attack. He's a good check to Steel types such as Ferrothorn, Forretress and Scizor aswell as the near perfect counter to Genesect, all of which aren't able to even scratch Heatran. He also handles +6 Serperior's with ease, due to the fact most carry Hidden Power Fire, meaning he's just fodder. While Heatran doesn't counter as many threats, he does have to take a lot of hits from most Pokemon such as Psychic, Ghost, Dark hits etc. which is crucial to this team.
Gengar (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Disable
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
Gengar already looks menacing. His red eyes signify the blood and hatred he has for other Pokemon. His amazing immunities and resistances means he finds himself switching in and forcing many switches. There are few Pokemon that carry more than one move that is deadly to Gengar and that is why he carries that grin. While he does have paper thin defences, he has juggernaut offences. His speed means he's rarely outsped by anything, and his attack means that the opponent is rarely still there after an attack or two.
While this set may seem obscure and rather stuck together, it functions and carries out what needs to be done. Substitute gives me many chance to scout an opponents team. The fact that he has many immunities means that he can Substitute up while the opponent switches and then handle the opponent from there. Pain Split and Disable used collectively is the highlight of this set. While you may argue he only needs one, for my set he needs both. Disable allows me to check those Pokemon that only have one move to hit Gengar, forcing switches. It also helps others on my team to switch in to a certain Pokemon that would otherwise be threatening. Pain Split handles stall relatively well, thanks to Gengar's measly HP stat. Not only that, it increases Gengar's longevity as well as decreasing the opponents. Shadow Ball was the choice of attack, simply because of the fact that Gangar received the STAB. It gives him the ability to dispose of weakened threats and gives him an easier time against certain threats to this team. I slapped on a Life Orb, simply because Gengar has Pain Split and therefore can abuse it with very few cons.
Gengar's ability to check a vast array of Pokemon means that he counter a lot of Pokemon. Firstly he is a great counter to Choiced Pokemon, thanks to Disable. Disable also allows it to stop mono-attacker's sweeps as well as Pokemon with only one attack to hit Gengar with, such as Reuniclus and Conkeldurr. Those two are probably the most important thing that Gengar check for me. He also has the ability to check Magic Bounce Espeon and Jellicent as well as the omnipresent Lati@s pair. With a Substitute under his belt, he is able to counter a lot more threats such as Excadrill, but that sounds easier than it really is.
Virizion @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 60 HP / 36 Def / 220 SAtk / 192 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Virizion completes the FWG core which I have going as is probably one of the better Pokemon to do this. This is due to the fact that FWG cores are torn apart by weather teams, which Virizion is known to be able to counter very well, specifically Rain and Sandstorm. His acceptable defence, and stellar speed, attack and special defence make him a juggernaut on the field. While his ability is of absolutely no use, he still makes a great candidate for my team.
Calm Mind Virizion is feared by weather teams, and for a good reason too. The fact he can come in on so many typical weather Pokemon and set up with ease, meaning that he can easily dismantle an entire team after just a couple boosts. Calm Mind is the crux of this set, allowing Virizion to boost his defence to better handle weather teams, Rain especially. After two or three boosts, nothing short of a critical hit will be taking Virizion down. The fact that he is paired with the improved Giga Drain only heightens the usefulness of Virizion. It boost in power Giga Drain has received this generation makes it a great move, not only damaging the opponent, but also healing the user. While not as strong as other grass moves he may have in his arsenal, it is still a viable choice this generation. Focus Blast offers a shaky dual STAB combination. With a miserable 70% accuracy and minute 8 PP, Focus Blast is a rather high risk high reward move. When it comes down to it, Focus Blast makes or breaks games and really is up to the hand of God. However when things do work out, Focus Blast hits like a truck, severely punishing the opponent. Unfortunately Focus Blast is Virizion's only specially based Fighting move, so there really is no substitute. Hidden Power Ice is very standard on a Calm Mind Virizion, but I use it to check the threats that need to be checked. Hidden Power Ice at the end of the day was chosen to give Virizion the ability to counter the threats that I needed to counter. It wasn't for getting good coverage or power. It was to ensure that my team wasn't completely swept by omnipresent threats.
Virizion probably has to counter the most threats. He single-handedly decapitates weather teams, most notably Rain and Sandstorm, taking down not only the weather bringer but his whole team. He has to counter dominant threats such as sand sweepers like Excadrill and rain sweepers like Kingdra as well as walls such as Gliscor, who would otherwise wall this team to hell. He also handles the Jellicent + Ferrothorn core which are troublesome as well.
Quagsire (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stockpile
- Recover
- Swagger
- Scald
This is personally my favourite Pokemon on this team. He functions as a counter to so many physical threats and finds himself sweeping a lot of Pokemon, quite a few times the most. His great defences and ability to further boost it means that he is an all round tank. The crux of Quagsire is in his ability, Unaware. Ignoring all boosts means that he it's hard to muscle through him. He takes all physical hits like they're nothing and shrugs it off. When working with Quagsire you're never going to get enough power to sweep a team. So I thought about letting the opponent killing himself.
Stockpile is the basis for this set to work. Before this strategy can work, you need the ability to take hits a bit better. Stockpile can do this to an extent, boosting both wings of his defence to +3. From there Recover gives me a viable form of recovery and longevity, meaning that even if critical hits come into account Quagsire still won't go down. Swagger is the move that is doing all the damage. With Unaware, boosting the opponents attack to +6 is not a problem for me. However for the opponent, no matter how little their attack stat is, their due to at least severely cripple themselves. Many physical sweepers find themselves killing themselves rather than me killing them. Scald is there to prevent Taunters and allows me to handle physical threats even better, as well as crippling opponents. While it does measly damage to most Pokemon, it still is annoying for the opponent having to deal with a burn and confusion.
Quagsire handles many threats as well, handling stat upper's with ease. Baton Pass teams find themselves with nothing to do and the ever deadly Gorebyss Baton Pass strategy won't work. He handles threats such as Shell Smash Cloyster, who even with the critical hits, won't come close to 3HKOing. He also handles the likes of Swords Dance Garchomp, Specially Defensive Scizor, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Swords Dance Excadrill etc. Pokemon who also decide to invest in defense instead of attack find themselves unable to break through Quagsire as he laughingly mock them. With luck he is even able to handle Ferrothorn and Breloom with confusion hax, but it is a last resort kind of thing.
Threats
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Although this team has its counters for Breloom, I still have noticed the slightest Breloom weakness. The weakness comes from lack of Spore absorber, not from its power or moveset. However minor the weakness is, it can't go unnoticed because if I mispredict the Spore and Gyarados ends up asleep it's going to take a lot more prediction and effort than it should.
No, not a weakness to Roserade. I couldn't find a picture of Toxic Spikes so I used the Pokemon notorious for setting them up. Toxic Spikes are kind of the closest thing that comes to making me want to rage quit. They're my kryptonite, crippling most of my physical sweepers as well as my dedicated wall. It may seem amusing to you that such a minor thing can decapitate my team but I'm sure Toxic Spikes could slaughter your team as well under the hands of a good player.
Importable
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Velociraptor (Garchomp) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Dual Chop
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Poseidon (Gyarados) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 156 HP / 168 Def / 184 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
- Waterfall
- Bounce
Mt. Vesuvius (Heatran) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Overheat
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Musketeer (Virizion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 60 HP / 36 Def / 220 SAtk / 192 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Durian (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Disable
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
Unaware (Quagsire) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stockpile
- Recover
- Swagger
- Scald
Trait: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Dual Chop
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Poseidon (Gyarados) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 156 HP / 168 Def / 184 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt
- Waterfall
- Bounce
Mt. Vesuvius (Heatran) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Stealth Rock
- Overheat
- Earth Power
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Musketeer (Virizion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 60 HP / 36 Def / 220 SAtk / 192 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Giga Drain
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Durian (Gengar) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Disable
- Pain Split
- Shadow Ball
Unaware (Quagsire) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Stockpile
- Recover
- Swagger
- Scald
Final Glance
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