I am using this team in real life on my 3DS and not an emulator so building designer Pokemon is much harder to do than something like the Shoddy Battle system.
My favorite play style is null in void due to the nerf on Sandstream. Therefore I am going to use my new team full time. The idea is to attack as much as I can and then keep the pressure going by using U-Turn or Volt Switch when I have to. With the correct prediction aided by Team Preview I should be able to continue rolling through my opponents. My current thread is to discuss the changes associated with the transition to X and Y and the access to the Poke Bank.
Infernape with Focus Sash
252 Atk/194 Spe/64 SpA
U-Turn
Stealth Rock
Close Combat
Overheat
I know this seems counterproductive, but I actually don’t want Fake Out on this guy. In order to have Fake Out and U-Turn, I would have to scrap either Stealth Rock or a STAB move and I would rather have the oomph from them instead of breaking a Focus Sash or Sturdy. Usually Infernape cause my opponent to switch giving me the opportunity to set up my own hazard and then I can U-Turn out and he can come back out when he is needed again. Close Combat and Overheat really hurt quite a few things and U-Turn is just part of the strategy for the team. I don’t know if Focus Sash is the best item, but I don’t think it would hurt.
Forretress with Sturdy and Assault Vest
Sassy 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Gyro Ball
Earthquake
Rapid Spin
Volt Turn
This guy is all utility, all the time. Rapid spin is the name of the game for this guy because of all the
switching I will be doing, but with this set up I have had remarkable success with defeating the Lati-
twins and even Rayquaza a few times and that was before the Assault Vest was introduced! Volt Turn is there to provide a slow switch and allow Forretress to tank an attack so the switch in avoids the damage. I have chosen the Assault vest and Earthquake because in my experience I never really got the opportunity to use Spikes with Forretress and the whole team gains some additional bulk for switching in and out. Gyro Ball is for a solid STAB attack that has worked well in taking down Gengar expecting a Rapid Spin as well as the move-locked Dragons. Unless they are using the Air Balloon item, this set is an excellent lure for Heatran and Magnezone.
Rotom-W with Levitate and Leftovers
Calm 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Volt Turn
Hydro Pump
Pain Split
Will-O-Wisp/Thunderwave
This is part one of my defensive core and he appears and I chose to go bulky because I have some heavy hitters already and I needed more defensive types. Generally I choose WoW or Pain Split on the switch and then he gets out of there with Volt Switch because a ground type is not coming in due to the fear being hit with Hydro Pump. That move will used later on the match because Rotom-W is more than likely to survive longer than anyone else. The EV’s and nature were to maximize both defensive spectrums. I know that Will-O-Wisp is the standard status move, but I do wonder if the rest of the team would be better served by spamming Thunderwave instead. I know Hydreigon would like to be faster than some of its checks.
Scizor with Technician and Scizorite
Adamant 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spe
Bullet Punch
U-Turn
Superpower
Roost
Scizor has been a beast in the meta-game since Platinum I think. Bullet Punch and U-Turn are the
staples of the set and U-Turn will be the primary move period unless a Bullet Punch is necessary for a
revenge kill. Superpower is there for coverage against Heatran and Ferrothorn and whatever else is
necessary in the new Generation. Roost is now an option to keep him healthy in the long run. I have
come to believe that this guy will work wonders as an alternate lead so that he can Mega Evolve from the start while using U-Turn at the same time. This way Scizor is more bulky overall for the rest of the match. This guy might lack the invested bulk of some other defensive members but his base stats for the Mega Evolution do wonders for him allowing him to focus more on hitting stuff instead of walling.
Hydreigon with Levitate and Choice Band
Timid 252 SpA/252 Spe/4 Atk
Draco Meteor
Dark Pulse
Fire Blast/Earth Power/Superpower
U-Turn
While it was my understanding that many folks were not as big a fan of Hydreigon in Gen V, I am and this guy is all about cold blooded murder from the Special side of life. Dark Pulse received a huge buff in that Steel types no longer resist it making Fire Blast redundant and Draco Meteor just smashes stuff repeatedly. Fire Blast isn’t as necessary now that Dark hits steel types neutrally so I think that Earth Power could be the way to go for this guy. I could be wrong but I do not have many ground attacks and no STAB ground users. U-Turn is there for getting out while the getting is good. I know Choice Specs seems rather tired at this point but the fact that I can spam Dark Pulse now is amazing! (Side note, I spent forever working towards getting a Dark Pulse equipped Arbok for breeding purposes before the move tutor gave it away for ten measly shards.) What isn't so amazing is his 4x weakness to Fairy and the fact that three of his moves are resisted by said Fairies. If it were just Hydreigon versus the world I would say that something needs to change, but since there are 5 other members on my team I am sure I can overcome those Fairies. I have considered the option of putting Superpower on this guy even though he has a Timid nature simply because he was a bear to breed IV's on and such and the blobs are really good at walling this guy. That would remove the one attack on the set that could hurt several of the Fairy types though.
Greninja with Protean and Life Orb
Naughty 194 Spe/252 Atk/64 SpA
Water Shuriken
U-Turn
Ice Beam
Spikes
This guy is the odd ball. His stats and ability really lend well to hitting fast and decently hard, but I needed something different that another frail sweeper. I needed a “cleaner”. Most folks believe that Greninja should only attack from the special side and I don’t disagree, but what I wanted was Water Shuriken. I wanted a priority water move this one could potentially be more powerful than Water Jet. I have a problem with Heatran, Infernape, Volcarona, and Terrakion. From my limited understanding, Water Shuriken should have at least a base power around 50 on average before STAB and Life Orb/Water Gem. U-Turn is to keep the pressure on and Ice Beam is a much needed Ice type attack. I have gone through several charts of other useful moves for coverage moves and none of them really did much of anything besides Acrobatics. The best I can come up with is using Spikes to help with the entry hazard damage as I play the mind games with my team. All in all, Greninja is here to help plug a few holes in my team’s coverage…but something just doesn’t feel right about his inclusion. I am fairly certain he will see some use because of his speed and hazard setting skills, but again something feels off or that I am trying too hard to fit him in.
I have been trying to make this team work and during the B/W era I did pretty well despite having a hefty Fire weakness (I also had a Magnezone on the roster), but since Smogon hasn’t finished the metagame analysis I am not for certain how everything will play out. I have always toyed with the idea of using an Anti-Lead Zoroark, but sadly that always seemed too gimmicky.
My favorite play style is null in void due to the nerf on Sandstream. Therefore I am going to use my new team full time. The idea is to attack as much as I can and then keep the pressure going by using U-Turn or Volt Switch when I have to. With the correct prediction aided by Team Preview I should be able to continue rolling through my opponents. My current thread is to discuss the changes associated with the transition to X and Y and the access to the Poke Bank.
Infernape with Focus Sash
252 Atk/194 Spe/64 SpA
U-Turn
Stealth Rock
Close Combat
Overheat
I know this seems counterproductive, but I actually don’t want Fake Out on this guy. In order to have Fake Out and U-Turn, I would have to scrap either Stealth Rock or a STAB move and I would rather have the oomph from them instead of breaking a Focus Sash or Sturdy. Usually Infernape cause my opponent to switch giving me the opportunity to set up my own hazard and then I can U-Turn out and he can come back out when he is needed again. Close Combat and Overheat really hurt quite a few things and U-Turn is just part of the strategy for the team. I don’t know if Focus Sash is the best item, but I don’t think it would hurt.
Forretress with Sturdy and Assault Vest
Sassy 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Gyro Ball
Earthquake
Rapid Spin
Volt Turn
This guy is all utility, all the time. Rapid spin is the name of the game for this guy because of all the
switching I will be doing, but with this set up I have had remarkable success with defeating the Lati-
twins and even Rayquaza a few times and that was before the Assault Vest was introduced! Volt Turn is there to provide a slow switch and allow Forretress to tank an attack so the switch in avoids the damage. I have chosen the Assault vest and Earthquake because in my experience I never really got the opportunity to use Spikes with Forretress and the whole team gains some additional bulk for switching in and out. Gyro Ball is for a solid STAB attack that has worked well in taking down Gengar expecting a Rapid Spin as well as the move-locked Dragons. Unless they are using the Air Balloon item, this set is an excellent lure for Heatran and Magnezone.
Rotom-W with Levitate and Leftovers
Calm 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD
Volt Turn
Hydro Pump
Pain Split
Will-O-Wisp/Thunderwave
This is part one of my defensive core and he appears and I chose to go bulky because I have some heavy hitters already and I needed more defensive types. Generally I choose WoW or Pain Split on the switch and then he gets out of there with Volt Switch because a ground type is not coming in due to the fear being hit with Hydro Pump. That move will used later on the match because Rotom-W is more than likely to survive longer than anyone else. The EV’s and nature were to maximize both defensive spectrums. I know that Will-O-Wisp is the standard status move, but I do wonder if the rest of the team would be better served by spamming Thunderwave instead. I know Hydreigon would like to be faster than some of its checks.
Scizor with Technician and Scizorite
Adamant 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Spe
Bullet Punch
U-Turn
Superpower
Roost
Scizor has been a beast in the meta-game since Platinum I think. Bullet Punch and U-Turn are the
staples of the set and U-Turn will be the primary move period unless a Bullet Punch is necessary for a
revenge kill. Superpower is there for coverage against Heatran and Ferrothorn and whatever else is
necessary in the new Generation. Roost is now an option to keep him healthy in the long run. I have
come to believe that this guy will work wonders as an alternate lead so that he can Mega Evolve from the start while using U-Turn at the same time. This way Scizor is more bulky overall for the rest of the match. This guy might lack the invested bulk of some other defensive members but his base stats for the Mega Evolution do wonders for him allowing him to focus more on hitting stuff instead of walling.
Hydreigon with Levitate and Choice Band
Timid 252 SpA/252 Spe/4 Atk
Draco Meteor
Dark Pulse
Fire Blast/Earth Power/Superpower
U-Turn
While it was my understanding that many folks were not as big a fan of Hydreigon in Gen V, I am and this guy is all about cold blooded murder from the Special side of life. Dark Pulse received a huge buff in that Steel types no longer resist it making Fire Blast redundant and Draco Meteor just smashes stuff repeatedly. Fire Blast isn’t as necessary now that Dark hits steel types neutrally so I think that Earth Power could be the way to go for this guy. I could be wrong but I do not have many ground attacks and no STAB ground users. U-Turn is there for getting out while the getting is good. I know Choice Specs seems rather tired at this point but the fact that I can spam Dark Pulse now is amazing! (Side note, I spent forever working towards getting a Dark Pulse equipped Arbok for breeding purposes before the move tutor gave it away for ten measly shards.) What isn't so amazing is his 4x weakness to Fairy and the fact that three of his moves are resisted by said Fairies. If it were just Hydreigon versus the world I would say that something needs to change, but since there are 5 other members on my team I am sure I can overcome those Fairies. I have considered the option of putting Superpower on this guy even though he has a Timid nature simply because he was a bear to breed IV's on and such and the blobs are really good at walling this guy. That would remove the one attack on the set that could hurt several of the Fairy types though.
Greninja with Protean and Life Orb
Naughty 194 Spe/252 Atk/64 SpA
Water Shuriken
U-Turn
Ice Beam
Spikes
This guy is the odd ball. His stats and ability really lend well to hitting fast and decently hard, but I needed something different that another frail sweeper. I needed a “cleaner”. Most folks believe that Greninja should only attack from the special side and I don’t disagree, but what I wanted was Water Shuriken. I wanted a priority water move this one could potentially be more powerful than Water Jet. I have a problem with Heatran, Infernape, Volcarona, and Terrakion. From my limited understanding, Water Shuriken should have at least a base power around 50 on average before STAB and Life Orb/Water Gem. U-Turn is to keep the pressure on and Ice Beam is a much needed Ice type attack. I have gone through several charts of other useful moves for coverage moves and none of them really did much of anything besides Acrobatics. The best I can come up with is using Spikes to help with the entry hazard damage as I play the mind games with my team. All in all, Greninja is here to help plug a few holes in my team’s coverage…but something just doesn’t feel right about his inclusion. I am fairly certain he will see some use because of his speed and hazard setting skills, but again something feels off or that I am trying too hard to fit him in.
I have been trying to make this team work and during the B/W era I did pretty well despite having a hefty Fire weakness (I also had a Magnezone on the roster), but since Smogon hasn’t finished the metagame analysis I am not for certain how everything will play out. I have always toyed with the idea of using an Anti-Lead Zoroark, but sadly that always seemed too gimmicky.