Hey everyone.
I've really taken to competitive battling recently. Beforehand, I mostly just lurked these forums and other websites like Nugget Bridge and played around in-game or on Showdown every now and then. Now I'm looking to enter a few local tournaments here in Melbourne and so I've been fashioning a VGC team for this purpose (a Smogon rules team to follow).
The central focus of this team is a Mega Mawile sweep. Team mates were chosen to provide three key supporting factors to the little steel machine: trick room, sandstorm and disabling Garchomp and Charizard-Y. With these set up - Mawile usually has all that she needs to finish the job.
Any moves, items or abilities in italics are alternative options I am considering and would like advice on. While I am after advice from my more experienced peers here at Smogon, I am trying to make this team work. Please don't suggest I change 3-4 members to other Pokemon because that would take away the whole point of trying to make this particular team work, and I hate having to throw away any uniqueness or flavour (even though, for all I know, there may be none of either). Of course, substituting 1-2 Pokemon is fine.
Without further ado, here is the team run-down:
Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Slide/Fire Fang
- Substitute
Mawile is the main player in the team so I will discuss her first. She is brought into battle in one of two scenarios. Firstly, she can be brought on early on (as soon as Trick Room is up) in an attempt to set up her substitute and begin wreaking havoc. This is only possible if there is no Charizard Y present on the enemy team or I think I can predict it's switch in and take it out with a Rock move. The second option is safer and the one I more commonly use - wait for the other three members to disable and weaken the enemy, get rid of Charizard Y and set up TrickSand. With it's main threat out of the way, it's defences boosted and it's speed tier reversed Mawile can then Mega Evolve into a Substitute and then proceed to take out the enemy. Play Rough is the main STAB move of course and is the option used for anything that doesn't resist it. Sucker Punch takes out offensive mons that try to capitalise when Trick Room runs out and destroys fast and frail sweepers like Gengar and Espeon. I decided to use Rock Slide for the third slot in case Charizard Y and Talonflame are still in play. Many Poison types who resist Play Rough also happen to be Bug types so it also works on them. Furthermore, it is a spread move and has higher accuracy than Stone Edge. Without Fire Fang, however, Mawile is walled by many Steel types. Scrafty usually pairs up and handles those.
Trevenant @ Lum Berry/Focus Sash
Ability: Harvest/Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Horn Leech
- Trick Room
- Destiny Bond
- Will-O-Wisp
Trevenant is my usual lead and the primary Trick Room setter on the team. Being Ghost-type makes it immune to Fake Out, and being Grass type makes it immune to Sleep Powder and Spore. I have struggled to find a set up that I'm happy with on Trevenant so far. At the moment I am running Harvest with Lum Berry to rid myself of Burn and Toxic that seem to be riddling the ladder. I have also tried Focus Sash with Frisk and had mixed results. Frisk is great when Rotom-W is accompanying as it can scout items to trick away, and the Focus Sash prevents Trevenant from being one-shotted by priority Brave Bird and insuring Trick Room is set up most of the time. Trick Room has an obvious place on this set. Will-o-Wisp is invaluable, especially under Trick Room, for disabling (normally) fast physical sweepers like Garchomp, Lucario and Scizor. Horn Leech works great on Rotom-W, as Trevenant resists both its STABs and Trevenant gets free health back to increase it's longevity. Destiny Bond, under Trick Room, catches a lot of people off guard with the right prediction. I usually reserve it for the 5th turn if I suspect that setting it up again won't be possible. I find that with its bulk and Will-o-Wisp, opposing teams try to take Trevenant out with their biggest powerhouse, and they live to regret that decision.
Trevenant serves well when partnered with both Tyranitar and Scrafty as it is immune to their fighting weakness, resistant to Tyranitar's ground and water weaknesses and can follow up with a burn. This works particularly well with Scrafty who can then switch back in with Intimidate and Fake Out and cripple a physical sweeper completely.
Scrafty @ Chople Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Crunch
- Detect/Taunt
Scrafty. Oh, how I love Scrafty. Someone on another competitive board suggested he would be a good fit on my team and I'm so glad I put him in. Scrafty and Trevenant's Fake Out + Trick Room to Destiny Bond + Detect deals with Charizard Y leads pretty easily and makes Mawile's job a lot easier from the start. Rotom-W has a similar problem only he is met with Horn Leech, and Kangaskhan only manages to Mega Evolve before it is burned. Chople Berry is paramount as Fighting moves are sent straight for Scrafty and unlike on Tyranitar it actually prevents a OHKO. Follow up with Drain Punch or Crunch, a STAB combo resisted only by fairies and Toxicroak, and bring on the fun. Detect provides opportunities for Trevenant and Rotom-W to Will-o-Wisp and Trick the enemy into a frenzy and I find Scrafty's formidable presence makes him the target of a lot of attacks too.
Taunt has been something I have been playing around with instead of Detect (as Scrafty's bulk + Drain Punch means he has decent survivability). While usually too slow to use this effectively, non-Prankster supports (few and far between admittedly) usually fall victim to this surprise move after Trick Room is set up on the first turn. I'm not entirely certain on it's viability, though, as Sableye, Klefki and Meowstic are rampant and will get at least one turn to set up anyway despite Fake Out.
Rotom-Wash @ Choice Specs/Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch/Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Trick
Rotom-W on a VGC team? No way! Rotom-W is just too good and he compliments the disruptive nature of my team nicely. Furthermore, he makes a great counter to Talonflame who is littering the metagame. In fact, he is pretty much here to screw up Talonflame. Switching in at a Brave Bird aimed at Trevenant and Volt Switching out again. Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt/Volt Switch leave Rotom-W walled by most Grass-types, which Trevenant usually switches back into to follow up with a burn and it's constantly regenerating status immunity. Trick is one of my favourite tactics in the game because of the way it can screw a team over. I employ it in two ways. Firstly, I either play offensively and leave my Choice Specs on. This is usually the case when the enemy hasn't revealed their main sweepers yet. Once they identify themselves, I switch in and Trick in the hopes of catching them on their set up move (under Trick Room, or outside Trick room if using the Choice Scarf). The second way is usually more viable because opportunities to switch are limited, and that's usually to come in as soon as Trick Room is set up and Trick onto the most viable target right off the bat (preferably their support).
Volt Switch is usually preferred over Thunderbolt because it a) gains momentum and b) does not come with a chance to paralyse. While paralysis isn't often thought of as a bad thing, under Trick Room it has a habit of making certain threats slow enough to go first. Choice Specs means that Trick can be used at any time in the game, while Scarf limits use to the first turn before Trick Room is up. The good thing about the Scarf is that when used on a slower Pokemon, it ensures they won't be moving before Mawile does.
Tyranitar @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Naughty Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Ice Beam
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
I have to say... Tyranitar is the member of my team I am struggling with the most. While Sand Stream is awfully helpful to Mawile and great at disrupting Charizard-Y - Tyranitar seems to struggle amidst an array of Pokemon sporting high-power fighting moves and decent defenses. Tyranitar does not survive physical fighting moves aside from Mach Punch with Chople Berry and then it just gets 2HKO'd anyway. Tyranitar was the centrepiece of the team initially but after the introduction of Mawile it was more of a backup sweeper to handle Fire and Steel types. Earthquake and Rock Slide cover the majority of threats that Mawile has trouble with - but Earthquake can't be used while Mawile is still on the field, and switching her out wastes turns of Trick Room.
Ice Beam threats Garchomp and will usually take it out after a Weakness Policy boost. Pursuit claims psychic types who usually won't risk Focus Blast's accuracy with Tyranitar's gargantuan special defence (they often suspect Assault Vest too). Tyranitar's offensive power under Trick Room is an enormous asset but it comes in conflict with Mawile and there is a possibility that I need to find a partner who has more synergy. Help me!
Chandelure @ Focus Sash
Ability: Flash Fire/Infiltrator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Heat Wave
- Shadow Ball
- Trick Room
- Protect
Chandelure is an alternative Trick Room setter brought in when Scizor and Ferrothorn look like they could be a threatening presence. Being Ghost-type it is also immune to Fake Out and works well in tandem with Scrafty to pull off disrupting early-game combos. With far more offensive presence than Trevenant, Chandelure can also work in tandem with Scrafty to spend the first turn taking out Meowstic with Fake Out + Shadow Ball or Klefki with Fake Out + Heat Wave. In some rare scenarios, Chandelure and Trevenant may pair up with full immunity to Fake Out and Trick Room + Heat Wave to Destiny Bond + Protect.
Focus Sash is invaluable on Chandelure as I find it gets one-shotted a lot easier than Trevenant does and it ensures that Trick Room is set up for the rest of play. I've considered options like Air Balloon or a berry to reduce it's weaknesses but its frailty makes their effectiveness questionable to me.
Conclusion
This team thrives off early disruption of the enemy's strategy and disabling would-be threats through status, Trick and surprise tactics like Destiny Bond. Mawile is then free to come in, Mega-Evolve and set up a substitute. From there, remaining team members focus on decentralising enemy attacks and supporting Mawile's sweep. The team runs effectively but is utterly dependent on choosing the right Pokemon for the job at the beginning - as certain niche combos are needed to counter certain threats, and the usual Trevenant + Scrafty + Mawile + Tyranitar is not always the way to go.
Issues
- Prankster Sableye makes a habit of being a problem on some teams with its immunity to Fake Out and priority Taunt to shut down Trevenant. Energy Herb is an option to remedy this but it's so uncommon that overall the current set up has been more beneficial.
- Talonflame has a habit of Brave Bird'ing Scrafty and knocking it out before it can Fake Out leaving Trevenant and Chandelure susceptible to their support mon's taunt.
- Tyranitar's 4x weakness to Fighting is proving extremely taxing. Unless running Assault Vest, it can't face a lead Charizard Y without being taken out by Solarbeam as Sandstorm is nullified.
Please send me your feedback!
(including any ways to improve this post as it is my first attempt at a RMT on Smogon)
I've really taken to competitive battling recently. Beforehand, I mostly just lurked these forums and other websites like Nugget Bridge and played around in-game or on Showdown every now and then. Now I'm looking to enter a few local tournaments here in Melbourne and so I've been fashioning a VGC team for this purpose (a Smogon rules team to follow).
The central focus of this team is a Mega Mawile sweep. Team mates were chosen to provide three key supporting factors to the little steel machine: trick room, sandstorm and disabling Garchomp and Charizard-Y. With these set up - Mawile usually has all that she needs to finish the job.
Any moves, items or abilities in italics are alternative options I am considering and would like advice on. While I am after advice from my more experienced peers here at Smogon, I am trying to make this team work. Please don't suggest I change 3-4 members to other Pokemon because that would take away the whole point of trying to make this particular team work, and I hate having to throw away any uniqueness or flavour (even though, for all I know, there may be none of either). Of course, substituting 1-2 Pokemon is fine.
Without further ado, here is the team run-down:
Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Slide/Fire Fang
- Substitute
Mawile is the main player in the team so I will discuss her first. She is brought into battle in one of two scenarios. Firstly, she can be brought on early on (as soon as Trick Room is up) in an attempt to set up her substitute and begin wreaking havoc. This is only possible if there is no Charizard Y present on the enemy team or I think I can predict it's switch in and take it out with a Rock move. The second option is safer and the one I more commonly use - wait for the other three members to disable and weaken the enemy, get rid of Charizard Y and set up TrickSand. With it's main threat out of the way, it's defences boosted and it's speed tier reversed Mawile can then Mega Evolve into a Substitute and then proceed to take out the enemy. Play Rough is the main STAB move of course and is the option used for anything that doesn't resist it. Sucker Punch takes out offensive mons that try to capitalise when Trick Room runs out and destroys fast and frail sweepers like Gengar and Espeon. I decided to use Rock Slide for the third slot in case Charizard Y and Talonflame are still in play. Many Poison types who resist Play Rough also happen to be Bug types so it also works on them. Furthermore, it is a spread move and has higher accuracy than Stone Edge. Without Fire Fang, however, Mawile is walled by many Steel types. Scrafty usually pairs up and handles those.
Trevenant @ Lum Berry/Focus Sash
Ability: Harvest/Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Horn Leech
- Trick Room
- Destiny Bond
- Will-O-Wisp
Trevenant is my usual lead and the primary Trick Room setter on the team. Being Ghost-type makes it immune to Fake Out, and being Grass type makes it immune to Sleep Powder and Spore. I have struggled to find a set up that I'm happy with on Trevenant so far. At the moment I am running Harvest with Lum Berry to rid myself of Burn and Toxic that seem to be riddling the ladder. I have also tried Focus Sash with Frisk and had mixed results. Frisk is great when Rotom-W is accompanying as it can scout items to trick away, and the Focus Sash prevents Trevenant from being one-shotted by priority Brave Bird and insuring Trick Room is set up most of the time. Trick Room has an obvious place on this set. Will-o-Wisp is invaluable, especially under Trick Room, for disabling (normally) fast physical sweepers like Garchomp, Lucario and Scizor. Horn Leech works great on Rotom-W, as Trevenant resists both its STABs and Trevenant gets free health back to increase it's longevity. Destiny Bond, under Trick Room, catches a lot of people off guard with the right prediction. I usually reserve it for the 5th turn if I suspect that setting it up again won't be possible. I find that with its bulk and Will-o-Wisp, opposing teams try to take Trevenant out with their biggest powerhouse, and they live to regret that decision.
Trevenant serves well when partnered with both Tyranitar and Scrafty as it is immune to their fighting weakness, resistant to Tyranitar's ground and water weaknesses and can follow up with a burn. This works particularly well with Scrafty who can then switch back in with Intimidate and Fake Out and cripple a physical sweeper completely.
Scrafty @ Chople Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Fake Out
- Drain Punch
- Crunch
- Detect/Taunt
Scrafty. Oh, how I love Scrafty. Someone on another competitive board suggested he would be a good fit on my team and I'm so glad I put him in. Scrafty and Trevenant's Fake Out + Trick Room to Destiny Bond + Detect deals with Charizard Y leads pretty easily and makes Mawile's job a lot easier from the start. Rotom-W has a similar problem only he is met with Horn Leech, and Kangaskhan only manages to Mega Evolve before it is burned. Chople Berry is paramount as Fighting moves are sent straight for Scrafty and unlike on Tyranitar it actually prevents a OHKO. Follow up with Drain Punch or Crunch, a STAB combo resisted only by fairies and Toxicroak, and bring on the fun. Detect provides opportunities for Trevenant and Rotom-W to Will-o-Wisp and Trick the enemy into a frenzy and I find Scrafty's formidable presence makes him the target of a lot of attacks too.
Taunt has been something I have been playing around with instead of Detect (as Scrafty's bulk + Drain Punch means he has decent survivability). While usually too slow to use this effectively, non-Prankster supports (few and far between admittedly) usually fall victim to this surprise move after Trick Room is set up on the first turn. I'm not entirely certain on it's viability, though, as Sableye, Klefki and Meowstic are rampant and will get at least one turn to set up anyway despite Fake Out.
Rotom-Wash @ Choice Specs/Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch/Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Trick
Rotom-W on a VGC team? No way! Rotom-W is just too good and he compliments the disruptive nature of my team nicely. Furthermore, he makes a great counter to Talonflame who is littering the metagame. In fact, he is pretty much here to screw up Talonflame. Switching in at a Brave Bird aimed at Trevenant and Volt Switching out again. Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt/Volt Switch leave Rotom-W walled by most Grass-types, which Trevenant usually switches back into to follow up with a burn and it's constantly regenerating status immunity. Trick is one of my favourite tactics in the game because of the way it can screw a team over. I employ it in two ways. Firstly, I either play offensively and leave my Choice Specs on. This is usually the case when the enemy hasn't revealed their main sweepers yet. Once they identify themselves, I switch in and Trick in the hopes of catching them on their set up move (under Trick Room, or outside Trick room if using the Choice Scarf). The second way is usually more viable because opportunities to switch are limited, and that's usually to come in as soon as Trick Room is set up and Trick onto the most viable target right off the bat (preferably their support).
Volt Switch is usually preferred over Thunderbolt because it a) gains momentum and b) does not come with a chance to paralyse. While paralysis isn't often thought of as a bad thing, under Trick Room it has a habit of making certain threats slow enough to go first. Choice Specs means that Trick can be used at any time in the game, while Scarf limits use to the first turn before Trick Room is up. The good thing about the Scarf is that when used on a slower Pokemon, it ensures they won't be moving before Mawile does.
Tyranitar @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Naughty Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Ice Beam
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
I have to say... Tyranitar is the member of my team I am struggling with the most. While Sand Stream is awfully helpful to Mawile and great at disrupting Charizard-Y - Tyranitar seems to struggle amidst an array of Pokemon sporting high-power fighting moves and decent defenses. Tyranitar does not survive physical fighting moves aside from Mach Punch with Chople Berry and then it just gets 2HKO'd anyway. Tyranitar was the centrepiece of the team initially but after the introduction of Mawile it was more of a backup sweeper to handle Fire and Steel types. Earthquake and Rock Slide cover the majority of threats that Mawile has trouble with - but Earthquake can't be used while Mawile is still on the field, and switching her out wastes turns of Trick Room.
Ice Beam threats Garchomp and will usually take it out after a Weakness Policy boost. Pursuit claims psychic types who usually won't risk Focus Blast's accuracy with Tyranitar's gargantuan special defence (they often suspect Assault Vest too). Tyranitar's offensive power under Trick Room is an enormous asset but it comes in conflict with Mawile and there is a possibility that I need to find a partner who has more synergy. Help me!
Chandelure @ Focus Sash
Ability: Flash Fire/Infiltrator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Heat Wave
- Shadow Ball
- Trick Room
- Protect
Chandelure is an alternative Trick Room setter brought in when Scizor and Ferrothorn look like they could be a threatening presence. Being Ghost-type it is also immune to Fake Out and works well in tandem with Scrafty to pull off disrupting early-game combos. With far more offensive presence than Trevenant, Chandelure can also work in tandem with Scrafty to spend the first turn taking out Meowstic with Fake Out + Shadow Ball or Klefki with Fake Out + Heat Wave. In some rare scenarios, Chandelure and Trevenant may pair up with full immunity to Fake Out and Trick Room + Heat Wave to Destiny Bond + Protect.
Focus Sash is invaluable on Chandelure as I find it gets one-shotted a lot easier than Trevenant does and it ensures that Trick Room is set up for the rest of play. I've considered options like Air Balloon or a berry to reduce it's weaknesses but its frailty makes their effectiveness questionable to me.
Conclusion
This team thrives off early disruption of the enemy's strategy and disabling would-be threats through status, Trick and surprise tactics like Destiny Bond. Mawile is then free to come in, Mega-Evolve and set up a substitute. From there, remaining team members focus on decentralising enemy attacks and supporting Mawile's sweep. The team runs effectively but is utterly dependent on choosing the right Pokemon for the job at the beginning - as certain niche combos are needed to counter certain threats, and the usual Trevenant + Scrafty + Mawile + Tyranitar is not always the way to go.
Issues
- Prankster Sableye makes a habit of being a problem on some teams with its immunity to Fake Out and priority Taunt to shut down Trevenant. Energy Herb is an option to remedy this but it's so uncommon that overall the current set up has been more beneficial.
- Talonflame has a habit of Brave Bird'ing Scrafty and knocking it out before it can Fake Out leaving Trevenant and Chandelure susceptible to their support mon's taunt.
- Tyranitar's 4x weakness to Fighting is proving extremely taxing. Unless running Assault Vest, it can't face a lead Charizard Y without being taken out by Solarbeam as Sandstorm is nullified.
Please send me your feedback!
(including any ways to improve this post as it is my first attempt at a RMT on Smogon)
