Triple X
Hello Smogon! Huifao here. Well, I am back with my third (and hopefully my best yet!) RMT. After having created one stall team and one balanced team, I felt offensive was the route to go to get a better understanding of Pokemon battling. I wanted preferably to use an original underrated Pokemon in my team, and one that can Baton Pass, as I wanted to have this strategy as a part of my team. The answer: Mew. Once I had decided this, I thought about the pokemon that would work well with Mew and that is how the team developed! I realise some of my descriptions are quite lengthy, but I felt the need to do this due to the nature of the team. Any help or suggestions are much appreciated and I am willing to try anything anybody suggests!
Team at a Glance
The Team
Azelf @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
The Team
Azelf @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
Azelf is my lead Pokemon, against pretty much every team I ever face, he is often willingly sacrificed once his job has been done as his defences won't usually resist much longer after his job is complete. The only time I need not lead with Azelf is against dedicated stall teams, where screen support is often pointless. The moves are quite easy to understand: Reflect and Light Screen for protection, Stealth Rock lets my sweepers OHKO pokemon like Donphan or Skarmory who have Sturdy and helps me turn 2HKOs into OHKOs. Taunt is especially useful against any Substitute or set up sweepers, opposing Taunt users or hazard layers. EVs and Nature make sure he is as fast as possible and the remaining EVs into HP too increase chances of getting both screens up. Light Clay obviously to prolong the effects of the screens.
Although I have changed my dual screener several times, I chose Azelf mainly for the ability to use Stealth Rock, its blazing speed and Taunt. Bronzong is too slow in my opinion, Espeon is often set-up bait and cannot lay down hazards and the list of possible Pokemon and reasons against them goes on. If Azelf can go down with both screens up, and Stealth rock on the opposing field, I am a happy battler!
Despite Azelf's below-par defences (although 75/70/70 is not bad!) and poor typing, with correct use of Reflect and Light Screen he will more often than not complete his task fully, leaving the rest of the team with pseudo double defences for 4-5 turns, usually enough to wreak havoc! Azelf is key to the team as without dual screens, Mew could not set up, and Pokemon such as Lucario are not exactly defensive behemoths! Therefore, the screens do provide a fantastic help and are usually up for long enough for the rest of the team to get on with it.
Sableye is probably Azelf's worse nightmare with Prankster priority Taunt! Usually, if I see a Sableye I will send out Scizor with his Lum Berry to take the burn and set up with Sword Dance and use Bullet Punch, but Sableye is still a problem and he messes with the team’s strategy. In perhaps the same field as Sableye, faster Taunt users cause the same problems, but they will usually be quite frail and will be able to be dealt with without too much cause for concern.
Mew @ Lum Berry
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 Spd
Bold Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rock Polish
- Baton Pass
- Taunt
Mew, probably the most versatile pokemon in the game, and one of the most important pokemon on my team. With screens up and with great defences, he is practically impenetrable. Mew can almost always pull off at least a +2 Attack +2 Speed Baton Pass. As for the moves, Sword Dance, Rock Polish and Baton Pass are pretty much obligatory on this set and Taunt is also very useful, filling a similar niche to Azelf's Taunt. It also stops any Vaporeon, Heatran or Skarmory phasing me out. It does not stop Dragon Tail, but this move is quite rare.
Mew's aim is to pull off as many boosts as possible and then baton pass to the most appropriate sweeper. Rock Polish will generally be used first as it allows me to then Taunt any faster switch ins if I need to, or to Baton Pass away before an opponent’s attack if it is required. Sword Dance will generally be used next to give me the +2 +2 stats. If I then have time I will use Sword Dance or Rock Polish once more depending on the situation or otherwise Mew will use Baton Pass. If it is safe, I will generally pass the boosts on to Lucario as his ability gives him a further attack boost when Mew Baton Passes away from the dark moves it attracts. I will however pass to Scizor if I think a Lucario Sweep is not on the cards, to Jolteon against stall if I think I can set up an easy Substitute, or of course to Gyarados. It all depends on the opponent’s threats and whether the incoming Pokemon can comfortably take an enemy attack.
Finally, Mew's Lum Berry often provides amusement. As Mew generally cannot be easily taken down by attacking moves behind screens, many opposing Pokemon attempt to inflict it with status. When Mew holds a Lum Berry, any status effects will first be put on the opponent due to Synchronise and then will be healed off Mew thanks to its Lum Berry, meaning that the opponent has effectively poisoned, burned etc. himself! I can then proceed to use Taunt to stop the status, but often I will simply get another boost in to one of my three sweepers which I shall look at now.
Lucario @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Ice Punch
- Crunch
Sweeper No. 1: Lucario. Lucario is a beast from pretty much whichever angle you look at him. With great typing and an awesome movepool, I am surprised he is not used more. Now, you may be looking at this set and thinking where is Sword Dance? Well the answer is, it is nonexistent. Lucario does not use the boost himself; Mew gives it to him, with +2 speed as well. Not having Sword Dance, frees up a spare slot and this is greatly valuable to Lucario to enable him to get as much coverage as possible. Close Combat is the main STAB move, and hits incredibly hard, OHKOing a long list of Pokemon when he is at +2 attack (This thing takes down Skarmory after Stealth Rock damage!). The defence drops are also hardly anything to worry about as he is pretty frail anyway. ExtremeSpeed is used for opposing priority users such as Mach Punch Breloom who could ruin his sweep. Ice Punch hits any Dragons who dare to face Lucario and it is also useful against defensive walls such as Amoongus. Finally Crunch provides valuable extra coverage for, for example, hitting Slowbro hard. This means that far fewer threats can stop Lucario if he does not have to choose one of the two moves. Why not use both?
The EVs maximise attack and speed, the only things that matter really. Lucario's ability, Justified, is incredibly useful as he can comfortably take a Crunch or Pursuit from a Tyranitar aimed at Mew to further boost his attack. Life Orb gives him the extra boost to power. I think this is the best item, as although residual damage can be annoying, especially when I come up against a Bullet Punch Scizor where ExtremeSpeed hardly hurts it, but I think the Life Orb converts some 2HKOs to OHKOs, which is obviously a good thing!
Despite sharing a steel type with Scizor, Lucario has great synergy with the other two Pokemon of the sweeper trio. If possible, Lucario is my preferred recipient, due to his great coverage and massive attack stat combined with +2 priority. If Lucario can start attacking at +2+2 without having taken much damage, the match is already pretty much over!
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 52 HP / 204 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
Sweeper No. 2: Gyarados. Who would have thought that this monster comes from Magikarp? Gyarados is my second sweeper of the three, and perhaps the most dangerous. With just a few boosts he becomes incredibly difficult to handle as Moxie runs rampage. I went with an attacking set as it can get some useful OHKOs and Leftovers also provide some recovery to increase its longevity.
Although Lucario has no way to boost other than letting Mew do it, I put Dragon Dance on Gyarados as it enables him to work well without receiving boosts. Waterfall is the main STAB attack, but Earthquake is often better against sun teams. Stone Edge forms the infamous EdqeQuake combo, which has awesome neutral coverage, although Breloom resists these and Waterfall! I tend to avoid using Stone Edge if possible due to the shaky accuracy. The only Pokemon in the game alongside Virizion to do so.
In a similar way to Lucario, if Gyarados can get +2 attack and speed, it is often pretty much game over, as even if he cannot take out the whole of the opponents team, he will leave a serious dent in the opposition, leaving Lucario, Jolteon and Scizor free to clean up the rest. Gyarados's moxie makes it difficult for the opponent to handle if he starts on +2 attack. I do not often use Dragon Dance, and I have considered swapping it for Ice Fang to give me perfect neutral coverage or to Taunt to help me with Skarmory. The main reason I use Dragon Dance is because he is bulky enough to set up, whereas I think Lucario is not.
Scizor @ Lum Berry
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 120 HP / 136 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
Sweeper No. 3: Scizor. Now, although I did just call him "Sweeper No. 3", this probably isn't the best way to describe this Scizor, but I need to get in the third X of Triple X!. Although a +2 Bullet Punch or Bug Bite will definitely hurt most pokemon, it is unlikely to take out a whole team. This is where Baton Pass comes in. Let's say Scizor manages to take out 2 Pokemon after receiving a +2 attack, +4 speed Baton Pass, which is not rare at all. At this point, Scizor may be on low health. This is when he uses Baton Pass, to continue the chain and to pass on the boosts to probably Lucario or Gyarados, meaning that the sweep can continue, which is very useful.
One of the problems with this team is that to get a Pokemon sufficient boosts to sweep, it may often mean sacrificing two Pokemon, which means the sweeper would need to take out probably 3 or 4 of the opposing team to balance things up, but if Scizor can use Baton Pass to keep the momentum going, then the opponent is finished. I often try to pass +4 speed to Scizor, due to his slow speed, as otherwise faster threats such as scarfed Pokemon can take him out, often with relative ease. Lum Berry on Scizor allows me to take any incoming status conditions such as burns from Will-O-Wisp which Gyarados cannot afford to take.
Jolteon @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Baton Pass
- Substitute
Jolteon is somewhat a filler, although he has proved to be useful on several occasions. He can act as a great revenge killer with fantastic speed and high special attack. Jolteon can also start or continue a Baton Pass chain, often giving one of my sweepers a substitute to hide behind. Jolteon is especially useful against stall teams, where it is often easy to hide behind an intact substitute. Jolteon also serves as my electric resist. Although the three main sweepers have great synergy between them, none of them resist electric, but simply having Jolteon on my side, can often dissuade the opponent from using electric type attacks thanks to Volt Absorb.
Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice provide me with pseudo BoltBeam coverage which provides me with a way to take out defensive monsters like Skarmory, if my physical attackers cannot. Jolteon also fills in the role of my special attacker. Baton Pass can keep a chain going and Substitute is fantastic against stall teams, but it can also be used when I predict a switch from the opponent, for example, sending Jolteon in against a Slowbro, a switch is practically inevitable, allowing me to nab a free substitute and then pass it on or simply spam BoltBeam! Leftovers allow Jolteon to recover some passive damage from Substitutes and give him a longer lifespan.
Possible Changes
There are only a few changes that I have tested out which differ from the presented team; any help on which you think would be better would be much appreciated.
1. Scizor ---> Gliscor. Gliscor would fulfil the same role as Scizor. The advantages are better speed and bulk, no shared weakness to fire type with Lucario and access to Taunt. However, he is 4x weak to priority Ice Shard and has limited attacking options; Earthquake would be the staple attacking move and I would probably have to run Facade alongside it, and these two moves don't have the best coverage. There is also the fact that Scizor can be self sufficient with Sword Dance whereas Gliscor would not really have space for it.
2. Azelf --> ??? Although I think Azelf is the best for my team I am not sure, and I think I have tried pretty much all of them!
3. Dragon Dance ---> Taunt. This is a change on Gyrarados' moveset. It would help me against Pokemon such as Skarmory but then I would lose the potential for Gyarados to set up on its own.
1. Scizor ---> Gliscor. Gliscor would fulfil the same role as Scizor. The advantages are better speed and bulk, no shared weakness to fire type with Lucario and access to Taunt. However, he is 4x weak to priority Ice Shard and has limited attacking options; Earthquake would be the staple attacking move and I would probably have to run Facade alongside it, and these two moves don't have the best coverage. There is also the fact that Scizor can be self sufficient with Sword Dance whereas Gliscor would not really have space for it.
2. Azelf --> ??? Although I think Azelf is the best for my team I am not sure, and I think I have tried pretty much all of them!
3. Dragon Dance ---> Taunt. This is a change on Gyrarados' moveset. It would help me against Pokemon such as Skarmory but then I would lose the potential for Gyarados to set up on its own.
Threats
Although I would say my strategy has no hard and fast counters due to the nature of the team, I have come across certain Pokemon that can cause me problems:
Pranksters
Although Whimsicott seems to be pretty rare in the current metagame, I come across a fair few Sableyes. Priority Taunt wrecks this team's strategy. The only way I have found of dealing with this, is using Sword Dance on Scizor, letting the Lum Berry take the burn, and then using Bug Bite or further Sword Dances. This is the only unsatisfactory method I have come up with!
Dual Threat Pokemon
The above Pokemon are examples of what I call dual threat Pokemon. These are Pokemon such as Jirachi, Landorus-T and Tyranitar, who are sent out as leads against Azelf and who threaten to put up Stealth Rock and threaten powerful super effective Crunches or U-Turns. Stealth Rock hinders Gyarados greatly, taking off a quarter of his health on the switch.
Ditto
Ditto is probably this team's worst nightmare. Although dual screens help, Lucario won't take a Close Combat, or Gyarados a Stone Edge very well. My only chance is to simply not setup too much against a team with Ditto, and hope for the best!
Sturdy Pokemon
Pokemon with Sturdy, these two being the main culprits, can often cause me difficulty if Stealth Rock is not up. Although Donphan does not give Gyarados any problems, he can take a +6 attack hit from Lucario's Ice Punch or Close Combat thanks to Sturdy, and proceed to KO back with Earthquake. Skarmory can take a hit and Whirlwind away, or even use Brave Bird if my sweeper is at low health. It is therefore important for Azelf to use Stealth Rock, although, unless Lucario is in play, Skarmory is still a pain thanks to (because of) its massive defence.
Although this is not an extensive threat list, it does cover some of the Pokemon I have found to be difficult to deal with, the worst being Ditto.
Pranksters
Although Whimsicott seems to be pretty rare in the current metagame, I come across a fair few Sableyes. Priority Taunt wrecks this team's strategy. The only way I have found of dealing with this, is using Sword Dance on Scizor, letting the Lum Berry take the burn, and then using Bug Bite or further Sword Dances. This is the only unsatisfactory method I have come up with!
Dual Threat Pokemon
The above Pokemon are examples of what I call dual threat Pokemon. These are Pokemon such as Jirachi, Landorus-T and Tyranitar, who are sent out as leads against Azelf and who threaten to put up Stealth Rock and threaten powerful super effective Crunches or U-Turns. Stealth Rock hinders Gyarados greatly, taking off a quarter of his health on the switch.
Ditto
Ditto is probably this team's worst nightmare. Although dual screens help, Lucario won't take a Close Combat, or Gyarados a Stone Edge very well. My only chance is to simply not setup too much against a team with Ditto, and hope for the best!
Sturdy Pokemon
Pokemon with Sturdy, these two being the main culprits, can often cause me difficulty if Stealth Rock is not up. Although Donphan does not give Gyarados any problems, he can take a +6 attack hit from Lucario's Ice Punch or Close Combat thanks to Sturdy, and proceed to KO back with Earthquake. Skarmory can take a hit and Whirlwind away, or even use Brave Bird if my sweeper is at low health. It is therefore important for Azelf to use Stealth Rock, although, unless Lucario is in play, Skarmory is still a pain thanks to (because of) its massive defence.
Although this is not an extensive threat list, it does cover some of the Pokemon I have found to be difficult to deal with, the worst being Ditto.
Importable
Mew @ Lum Berry
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 Spd
Bold Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rock Polish
- Baton Pass
- Taunt
Lucario @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Ice Punch
- Crunch
Azelf @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
Scizor @ Lum Berry
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 120 HP / 136 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 52 HP / 204 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
Jolteon @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Baton Pass
- Substitute
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 Spd
Bold Nature
- Swords Dance
- Rock Polish
- Baton Pass
- Taunt
Lucario @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Ice Punch
- Crunch
Azelf @ Light Clay
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
Scizor @ Lum Berry
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 120 HP / 136 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 52 HP / 204 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
Jolteon @ Leftovers
Trait: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Baton Pass
- Substitute
Closing Comments
Well, that's all! I hope you found it interesting and thanks for taking a look at my team! I've had great success with this team, and many of my losses have been down to my own bad play rather than because of the team itself. If you wish to give the team a try, copy and paste the importable included above. Leave a Luvdisc if you liked it!
Possible Changes (After Team Rates)
Jolteon ---> Kyurem-B/Thundurus-T. Well, One of these changes will take place depending on whether Espeon replaces Azelf or not.
Lucario: Ice Punch ---> Sword Dance. Accepted.
Gyarados: Offensive Dragon Dance ---> Sub DD set. Accepted.
Scizor: Baton Pass ---> SuperPower. This may go ahead, depends after testing how well the team fares without Scizor's Baton Pass.
Mew: Lum Berry ---> Leftovers. Accepted.
Azelf---> Espeon. Possibly, testing required.
Mew ---> Gliscor. Definitely need more testing but an interesting option. Main draw back is 4x weakness to ice, but Gliscor would provide very good synergy.
Hope You Enjoyed!
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