Let's start by overanalyzing Rocks. The most famous strategy with Rock is, "Good old rock. Nothing beats that!" Wait... seriously? I've watched enough of The Simpsons to know Bart's not a strategic genius. How is he the representative of Rock strategy? It didn't even work! Maybe we started at the wrong place. How about we look at how Rock Attacks work? You take a rock and you throw it. I'm oversimplifying of course. Really, most moves are throwing a bunch of rocks. Um... People have said the expression dumb as a rock is insulting to rocks when that expression is used with some people, so Rocks aren't the most unintelligent and... You know what? Screw it. There's enough Rock Types that I wasn't going to feel that creative, so why not embrace the uncreative nature Rock type?
Onix@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Rock Slide
-Rock Polish
-Stealth Rock
-Sandstorm
The combination of Rock Polish and Rock Slide's Flinch Chance take advantage of Onix's Base 70 Speed making it the second fastest Rock type until Gen 3 brought Anaroth with its Base 75. (And only Anaroth. Armaldo has Base 45.) A Base 45 Attack doesn't let Onix's attacks deal damage, but that combo actually makes attacks have an effect sometimes due to the Flinch Chance making the player not deal damage either! Stealth Rock is used so Onix can have an massive effect on the opponent and Sandstorm boosts the Special Defense of Rock types to the point where a Resisted Special Attack isn't better than an unresisted Physical Attack.
Sudowoodo@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Rollout
-Stone Edge
-Sandstorm
-Rock Tomb
You might be thinking Rollout is one of the attacks that isn't throwing a rock at the opponent. Ask yourself what Sudowoodo is before asking what the opponent is being hit by. (No, not a tree. Why would you think that? Sudowoodo is obviously a rock!) Stone Edge is a move with more immediate power, but Rollout is the real source of Sudowoodo's power. Sandstorm is used again because helping Sudowoodo endure Special Attacks lets it use Rollout for longer against Special Attackers. The hardest move to chose was the last one, but I went with Rock Tomb because maybe it will help someone that doesn't have Base 30 Speed outspeed something.
You might have thought Onix having 4 Rock Moves was a coincidence, but nope! Nothing beats Rock, so there's nothing but Rock! Also, I usually don't give items to every Pokemon unless it's a game where trainers tend to have items on every Pokemon, but this time I made an exception.
Golem@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Rollout
-Rock Slide
-Sandstorm
-Rock Polish
Rollout Round 2, This time with speed boosting and Rock Slide for the flinch chance! Rock Polish is pretty pathetic with Base 45 Speed, but I'm going with it because Golem is the third fastest Pokemon on this team! That's... wow. I'm going to need a paragraph to ramble about that.
I'd like to point out that I never said movesets of 4 Rock moves was a good idea. Having to say Rock Polish Golem is usable because Golem isn't tied for the slowest Pokemon on the team makes me realize how much this team sucks. It makes me wonder what the second worst team in this thread is (as in worst in how challenging it would be to face) and how much better it is than this one. Could this team even win against any other team in this thread?
Steelix@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Stone Edge
-Rock Tomb
-Stealth Rock
-Sandstorm
Only have 5 Rock types? Go with the Pokemon that evolves from a Rock type!
I decided to have a moveset similar to Onix's. Stone Edge is used over Rock Slide because Steelix's Attack Stat is a usable Base 85, Rock Tomb is used over Rock Polish for the sake of whoever's sent out after Steelix because going from Base 70 Speed to 30 after Evolution makes it go from the fastest member on this team to tied for the slowest. A backup Stealth Rock user isn't a bad idea and Sandstorm doesn't boost Steelix's Special Defense, but it's still a support move for the rest of the team.
Bastiodon@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Ancient Power
-Rock Tomb
-Sandstorm
-Stealth Rock
I'm not entirely sure if Ancient Power is throwing ancient rocks, but the animation looks like it is. Anyway, it's used for the chance to boost every stat. It's not like Bastiodon is dealing damage with higher power moves, so why not go for the 10% Omni Boost on a 5 PP Move? Rock Tomb's speed lowering effect makes it used yet again for support and Sandstorm is still support, but happening to deal damage makes it arguably Bastiodon's best "offensive" move. Using Stealth Rock a third time is just because Bastiodon isn't much stronger than Onix. Bastiodon's best chance would be stalling with Sandstorm and trying to boost its stats even if it had Stone Edge.
Rampardos@Hard Stone
Mold Breaker
-Head Smash
-Stone Edge
-Rock Tomb
-Rock Polish
Fun Fact: Rampardos is the only Pokemon on this team that can't have Sturdy and Bastiodon is the only other Pokemon on this team that can't have Rock Head. This pretty much means Rampardos is the only Pokemon with an Ability on this team because Sturdy doesn't act like a Focus Sash until Gen 5 and the rarely learned Head Smash is the only Rock Attack that has recoil.
Head Smash's 150 Power is pretty much a OHKO off of Base 165 Attack. Stone Edge is pretty close to guarantee KOs with that Attack, but it doesn't KO the user. Rock Polish could let Ramparados outspeed opponents for boosting speed in a passive way, but Rock Tomb can be used to slow them down while attacking. Between the lack of Rock Attacks that compete with Head Smash's Power and the Speed affecting moves working differently from each other, I feel like it's not a terrible choice to use both.
As for if Head Smash is throwing a rock at your opponent... You could argue Ramparados's skull is practically a rock, but I'm going to say I think it's a worse idea than throwing rocks. Sometimes you should just go with what already worked instead of using your head.
If you just scrolled to the bottom of this post without reading anything, behold the least origination looking team of this round! 7.8/10 Too many Rocks!
I mostly did the original part, going with 4 Rock Moves, just to see if I could make justifiable movesets for the entire team and I'm going to say I put way too much effort into what ended up being terrible movesets...
Onix@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Rock Slide
-Rock Polish
-Stealth Rock
-Sandstorm
The combination of Rock Polish and Rock Slide's Flinch Chance take advantage of Onix's Base 70 Speed making it the second fastest Rock type until Gen 3 brought Anaroth with its Base 75. (And only Anaroth. Armaldo has Base 45.) A Base 45 Attack doesn't let Onix's attacks deal damage, but that combo actually makes attacks have an effect sometimes due to the Flinch Chance making the player not deal damage either! Stealth Rock is used so Onix can have an massive effect on the opponent and Sandstorm boosts the Special Defense of Rock types to the point where a Resisted Special Attack isn't better than an unresisted Physical Attack.
Sudowoodo@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Rollout
-Stone Edge
-Sandstorm
-Rock Tomb
You might be thinking Rollout is one of the attacks that isn't throwing a rock at the opponent. Ask yourself what Sudowoodo is before asking what the opponent is being hit by. (No, not a tree. Why would you think that? Sudowoodo is obviously a rock!) Stone Edge is a move with more immediate power, but Rollout is the real source of Sudowoodo's power. Sandstorm is used again because helping Sudowoodo endure Special Attacks lets it use Rollout for longer against Special Attackers. The hardest move to chose was the last one, but I went with Rock Tomb because maybe it will help someone that doesn't have Base 30 Speed outspeed something.
You might have thought Onix having 4 Rock Moves was a coincidence, but nope! Nothing beats Rock, so there's nothing but Rock! Also, I usually don't give items to every Pokemon unless it's a game where trainers tend to have items on every Pokemon, but this time I made an exception.
Golem@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Rollout
-Rock Slide
-Sandstorm
-Rock Polish
Rollout Round 2, This time with speed boosting and Rock Slide for the flinch chance! Rock Polish is pretty pathetic with Base 45 Speed, but I'm going with it because Golem is the third fastest Pokemon on this team! That's... wow. I'm going to need a paragraph to ramble about that.
I'd like to point out that I never said movesets of 4 Rock moves was a good idea. Having to say Rock Polish Golem is usable because Golem isn't tied for the slowest Pokemon on the team makes me realize how much this team sucks. It makes me wonder what the second worst team in this thread is (as in worst in how challenging it would be to face) and how much better it is than this one. Could this team even win against any other team in this thread?
Steelix@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Stone Edge
-Rock Tomb
-Stealth Rock
-Sandstorm
Only have 5 Rock types? Go with the Pokemon that evolves from a Rock type!
I decided to have a moveset similar to Onix's. Stone Edge is used over Rock Slide because Steelix's Attack Stat is a usable Base 85, Rock Tomb is used over Rock Polish for the sake of whoever's sent out after Steelix because going from Base 70 Speed to 30 after Evolution makes it go from the fastest member on this team to tied for the slowest. A backup Stealth Rock user isn't a bad idea and Sandstorm doesn't boost Steelix's Special Defense, but it's still a support move for the rest of the team.
Bastiodon@Hard Stone
Sturdy
-Ancient Power
-Rock Tomb
-Sandstorm
-Stealth Rock
I'm not entirely sure if Ancient Power is throwing ancient rocks, but the animation looks like it is. Anyway, it's used for the chance to boost every stat. It's not like Bastiodon is dealing damage with higher power moves, so why not go for the 10% Omni Boost on a 5 PP Move? Rock Tomb's speed lowering effect makes it used yet again for support and Sandstorm is still support, but happening to deal damage makes it arguably Bastiodon's best "offensive" move. Using Stealth Rock a third time is just because Bastiodon isn't much stronger than Onix. Bastiodon's best chance would be stalling with Sandstorm and trying to boost its stats even if it had Stone Edge.
Rampardos@Hard Stone
Mold Breaker
-Head Smash
-Stone Edge
-Rock Tomb
-Rock Polish
Fun Fact: Rampardos is the only Pokemon on this team that can't have Sturdy and Bastiodon is the only other Pokemon on this team that can't have Rock Head. This pretty much means Rampardos is the only Pokemon with an Ability on this team because Sturdy doesn't act like a Focus Sash until Gen 5 and the rarely learned Head Smash is the only Rock Attack that has recoil.
Head Smash's 150 Power is pretty much a OHKO off of Base 165 Attack. Stone Edge is pretty close to guarantee KOs with that Attack, but it doesn't KO the user. Rock Polish could let Ramparados outspeed opponents for boosting speed in a passive way, but Rock Tomb can be used to slow them down while attacking. Between the lack of Rock Attacks that compete with Head Smash's Power and the Speed affecting moves working differently from each other, I feel like it's not a terrible choice to use both.
As for if Head Smash is throwing a rock at your opponent... You could argue Ramparados's skull is practically a rock, but I'm going to say I think it's a worse idea than throwing rocks. Sometimes you should just go with what already worked instead of using your head.
If you just scrolled to the bottom of this post without reading anything, behold the least origination looking team of this round! 7.8/10 Too many Rocks!
I mostly did the original part, going with 4 Rock Moves, just to see if I could make justifiable movesets for the entire team and I'm going to say I put way too much effort into what ended up being terrible movesets...
. Sludge Wave/Toxic Spikes/Brine/Hex)
. Sludge Wave/Dragon Pulse/Scald/Venom Drench)
. Toxic/Knock Off/Hypnosis/Superpower)
. Poison Jab/First Impression/Aqua Jet/Spikes)
. Toxic/Hex/Mystical Fire/Nasty Plot)
: Swarming the night with a colony of Zubat and Golbat, Crobat is a boss who doesn't mess around. The colony has one goal in mind: to feed; and Crobat is the fastest and most nimble of them all. A failing or disobeying 'bat could jeopardize an entire night's hunt. With high speed and able to bypass barriers and screens, it will catch up to you, and prevent you from fleeing further with a Mean Look. From there it has multiple moves to deal punishment, whether directly with a slashing Cross Poison or wearing down with Super Fang; it having no item is deceiving as it means it has nothing weighing it down for a critical Acrobatics from out-of-nowhere.
: Sometimes referred to as "the gangsters of the sea", Tentacruel and its mob of Tentacool controls areas of the sea it has claimed as its territory; a good indication you may be in such territory is there's a notable absence of fish Pokemon which have all been scared off. Tentacruel controls its territory with an iron tentacle (80 to be exact), and going up against it is a nasty time. It first attempts to poison by littering the area with Toxic Spikes or with Sludge Wave. But it only had begun to wear you down by using doubled power Hex or Brine if your health is low enough. Meanwhile it keeps itself in good shape with Clear Body keeping its stats fine and Black Sludge healthy & discouraging stealing. It's bulkier stats alone keep the Tentacool in line; for it can do much worse to them than they can to it.
: Famed for sinking ships and then using its corrosive poison to weld the hulls into undersea kingdoms, not to mention having harnessed the power of the Dragon-type, Dragalge is a tyrant king that rules over its Skrelp subjects. The name of the game is POWER, both to keep the Skrelp laborers pacified and deal with any intruder within or above its kingdom. Sludge Wave and Dragon Pulse hits harder thanks to Adaptability, Scald and Venom Drench can leave an adversary hindered, and if it needs to really go all out it carries its crown gem, Poisonium-Z, for an Adaptability backed Acid Downpour to fully dissolve any disputes... and any organic material.
: Evil masterminds with hypnotizing mind control, Malamar spends much of its time thinking of sinister plots while Inkay minions mindlessly does its bidding. In contrary to the other toxic bosses, Malamar isn't so hasty as it buys its time and observes so it can strike at the most advantageous. With both Toxic and Hypnosis it keeps its options open how to proceed, all the while Leftovers keeps it in good shape. Knock Off assures no funny business occurs, whether it be an opposing Item or an Inkay minion slacking off. And when the moment is right, it unleashes its Superpower, its Contrary only making each consecutive use stronger (as well as Knock Off). 
: Not all toxic bosses start off bad, Golisopod is a statement to that. It and its Wimpod grunts are a lot alike infact, they manage their territory on shorelines, preferring to run instead of fight if the going gets rough. But while Wimpod's cowardice is expected, Golisopod must put up a front in its territory to keep face with its underlings. First Impressions are everything, keeping up the momentum with Aqua Jet. If those STABs aren't enough, it has Poison Jab to mix things up and Spikes for battles that are looking to be longer. It's still not against doing an Emergency Exit if the battle turns against it, though it hopes to delay the retreat (or plan a comeback) with a sneaky Sitrus Berry.
: What's more wicked than a covenant of witches? Headmistress Mismagius channels the most powerful of curses with its Misdreavus sisters, and if any Misdreavus gets ahead of itself than Mismagius will use those curses to face it. Planning a Nasty Plot to get things started up, a Toxic sets up for Life Orb-empowered Hex to quell any voices of discourse. And if a Misdreavus speaks out of line a Mystical Fire will quiet it back down (metaphorically, they have Levitate letting them look down on others and their disasters such as Earthquakes).
@ Choice Specs
@ Expert Belt
@ Life Orb
