Welcome to the Gotei 13

[vyomov]

As you have probably figured out, Bleach is one of my favorite manga, which is why I decided to dedicate this team to the Gotei 13, one of the coolest teams around.

TEAM MEMBERS:

Ichigo(Pinsir@Pinsirite)

Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Quick Attack
- Return
- Earthquake

It's meaningless to just live, it's meaningless to just fight. I want to win!

Fed up with mindlessly abusing DeoSharp HO teams, I decided to start with a mon that is very viable but needs a little support to succeed - Mega Pinsir. The set is pretty standard, and has good coverage, hitting a large portion of the meta neutrally. After an SD(or a Bankai, as I like to call it), M-Pinsir is almost unstoppable, with only a few niche counters being able to stop him, such as Skarmory and Zapdos, although there are quite a few offensive checks such as Talonflame. I chose to run Jolly over Adamant simply because while Adamant runs more power, Jolly is superior given the speed-based nature of the meta and the fact that Garchomp is quite common and that Jolly>Adamant for mons such as Garchomp.


Zaraki (Conkeldurr) @ Assault Vest

Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off

Sanity? Worthless things like that, I never had them for as long as I can remember

The next member of the team is AV Conkeldurr - I got the idea of adding him when I read up the Mega-Pinsir analysis. Conkeldurr offers a lot to the team, as he can easily absorb the Will-O-Wisps that are aimed at Pinsir and can cripple Pinsir's checks with Knock Off, allowing Pinsir to KO them later. The set is standard and allows Conkeldurr to max out special bulk and attack, with an awe inspiring attack stat of 416, which is more than enough to tear down anything barring the bulkiest of walls. Mach Punch also offers priority and helps compensate for the lack of speed. I considering running ThunderPunch over Ice Punch for surprise value but went against it simply because Ice Punch is more reliable.


Ukitake (Zapdos) @ Leftovers

Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 24 Spd / 236 Def
Bold Nature
- Defog
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave

Friends are a good thing, even if they tread a different path

With the first two members leaving the team desperately weak to Talonflame and a need for a hazard remover to help Pinsir come in multiple times into the game and sweep, I decided to opt for one of the best defoggers in the tier - Zapdos. Zapdos does many important things for the team - as a physically defensive wall, he complements Conkeldurr and can take on Talonflame and opposing M-Pinsirs. I chose to go with Discharge over Thunderbolt as the paralysis chance is too good to miss out on, especially since this allows M-Pinsir to attack mons usually faster than him, such as Latios. The EVs are probably not optimal(I need some help on this) as I took them from an old UU team, although the EVs do help a lot in the current meta, as 24 EVs allows Zapdos to outspeed Adamant Bisharp.


Shunsui (Garchomp) @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast

Waiting patiently and believing in your subordinates is all part of a captain's job

I now needed some crucial speed on the team in order to boost the chances of Pinsir's sweep higher, which Scarf Chomp gave me. Scarf Chomp was perfect for multiple reasons, as it can revenge kill most pokemon and gives me a safety check against +1 threats such as DD Char X at +1, while also having an amazing ability, Rough Skin, which allows me to sac ScarfChomp late game to put something in the range of Quick Attack or Mach Punch. The coverage is also much appreciated and allows me to close some holes in terms of attacking coverage - Fire Blast hits physically oriented walls hard

Byakuya (Scizor) @ Choice Band

Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Knock Off

If it is for the sake of my pride, there is nothing I won't destroy.

At this point, I needed some more attacking power - while Scarf Chomp granted me speed, I had little to hit the pesky fairies with, and I was running out of spots. That's when I stumbled upon an old set, BandZor, who helps glue the team together. Band Technician Bullet Punch is an excellent tool to wear down Pinsir's checks, while the others are pretty standard - Band U-Turn hits like a truck and allows me to gain momentum and move to other mons, allowing me the freedom to move(for instance, Defogging on Zapdos). The EVs are pretty standard, with 8 Spd to speed creep other Band Zors and the rest plugged into Bulk and attack.

Shinji (Greninja) @ Life Orb

Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Extrasensory

Pretty good, huh? Doing things in reverse is my specialty.

While searching for the last member of my team, I realized I needed:
a) An offensive check to Aegislash
b) Special attacker
c) A little more speed
d) Water-type coverage
And Greninja fits the bill. With the EVs and the Set, Greninja can whittle down the health of Pinsir's checks(the purpose of most team members) but can also become a late-game win condition if Pinsir is unable to sweep - with Protean + LO turning Greninja into a Monster(just like Shinji's hollow mask) and good coverage, I can easily bluff setting up for Pinsir and then allow Greninja to sweep a weakened team at the end of the game.

So that's it guys! Thanks for reading and I look forward to suggestions on how to make this better :)

EDIT: Based on testing of the team, I've identified Mega-Mawile to be a huge problem to this team, as precious little on my team can deal with it - I've largely had to whittle it down using the rest and using Zapdos to beat it eventually. Another problem has been the lack of hazards on my team, which means that my opponent has far more freedom to switch than I do.
Importable:
Ichigo (Pinsir) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Quick Attack
- Return
- Earthquake

Shinji (Greninja) @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
- Extrasensory

Zaraki (Conkeldurr) (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off

Byakuya (Scizor) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd
Adamant Nature
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Knock Off

Ukitake (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 24 Spd / 236 Def
Bold Nature
- Defog
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave

Shunsui (Garchomp) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SAtk
Naive Nature
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast

 

[Rafael J. Feliciano]

Very Nice Team you have here vyomov...

One thing I would suggest is that instead of Greninja, I would go with the following:

Slow and Steady

Slowbro @ Leftovers
EV: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Ability: Regenerator
Bold Nature
IV: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
- Psychic / Psyshock

This guy can solve your speed problems with T-Wave, acts as a secondary check to Talonflame (in the event Zapdos falls prematurely) and can roll a 30% burn probability with STAB Scald. Regenerator lets him hang around and Slack Off only exacerbates his longevity

Also, if your team needs a SR User I would change ScarfChomp into Focus Sash and replace Stone Edge < Stealth Rock & Dragon Claw < Outrage. Garchomp won't have to worry about a Prankster T-Wave and is a virtual guarantee to lay out rocks; while still having the presence to OHKO anything that isn't immune/resistant to EQ/Outrage.

Let me know what you think.

 

[vyomov]

Hi Rafael!
Firstly, thanks a lot for taking out the time to rate my team, I really appreciate it!
The main problem that I have with replacing Greninja with Slowbro is that I lose another check to Aegislash which can be problematic - however, with Garchomp already there, I'd like to test this further before making a decision, but thanks for the suggestions :)

 

[DracoNinja]

Definitely run Outrage over Dragon Claw, you really need the raw power of Outrage and Dragon Claw is really weak.

You can run Specs Keldeo and use Hydro Pump to do a shitton to Mega Mawile, but then again its only a check.
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Mawile: 279-328 (91.7 - 107.8%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
Nonetheless it still does a stupidly huge chunk, and forms a really great offensive core with Garchomp. This gives your team an answer to Mega Mawile without needing Garchomp to be locked into Earthquake, and most Mega Mawile are paired with flying-types such as Thundurus-I anyway. Keldeo is probably better than Greninja, and you still have HP Flying to hit Mega Venusaur.

Opposing Specs Keldeo is also quite problematic so Slowbro would also be a noteworthy option. Aegislash is beaten by Zapdos, Garchomp and to an extent Conkeldurr anyway. You can also opt to change Zapdos to Latias, giving you a more well-rounded check to Keldeo, and also provide Defog and Healing wish support.

Hope I helped, and good luck!

 

[Rafael J. Feliciano]

Hi Rafael!
Firstly, thanks a lot for taking out the time to rate my team, I really appreciate it!
The main problem that I have with replacing Greninja with Slowbro is that I lose another check to Aegislash which can be problematic - however, with Garchomp already there, I'd like to test this further before making a decision, but thanks for the suggestions :)

I think your over estimating Aegislash against this particular team:

Mega Pinsir: 252 Atk Mega Pinsir Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 176-208 (54.3 - 64.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Conkeldurr: 252+ Atk Conkeldurr Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 172-204 (53 - 62.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Garchomp: 252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 230-272 (70.9 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Scizor: 252+ Atk Choice Band Scizor Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aegislash-Shield: 246-290 (75.9 - 89.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

So yeah, I think Aegi isn't as problematic as you are perceiving it to be.

 

[Rafael J. Feliciano]

Definitely run Outrage over Dragon Claw, you really need the raw power of Outrage and Dragon Claw is really weak.

You can run Specs Keldeo and use Hydro Pump to do a shitton to Mega Mawile, but then again its only a check.
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Mawile: 279-328 (91.7 - 107.8%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
Nonetheless it still does a stupidly huge chunk, and forms a really great offensive core with Garchomp. This gives your team an answer to Mega Mawile without needing Garchomp to be locked into Earthquake, and most Mega Mawile are paired with flying-types such as Thundurus-I anyway. Keldeo is probably better than Greninja, and you still have HP Flying to hit Mega Venusaur.

Opposing Specs Keldeo is also quite problematic so Slowbro would also be a noteworthy option. Aegislash is beaten by Zapdos, Garchomp and to an extent Conkeldurr anyway. You can also opt to change Zapdos to Latias, giving you a more well-rounded check to Keldeo, and also provide Defog and Healing wish support.

Hope I helped, and good luck!

Strongly agree with this!!! If you don't want Slowbro (basically doesn't fit your playstyle) than my vote is for Keldeo ^_^

 

[vyomov]

I've tested Specs Keldeo out and he has been amazing! I will probably make the shift permanent, since Keldeo really makes the team a lot stronger and allows me to abuse Specs Hydro Pump to the fullest before letting Pinsir sweep!
However, the introduction of Keldeo has made AV Conkekdurr a little redundant, since he now offers no "new" coverage as such - any suggestions for who I could replace him with? I was thinking on the lines of Sylveon, who could offer the team bulk and some new coverage.
Alternatively, I could change Garchomp to a SR lead set and I could then replace AV Conkeldurr with Scarf Gardevoir, who covers up for the Psychic-type coverage that I lose with the removal of Greninja as well as some Fairy-type coverage. What do you guys think?