Zapalion (A Zapdos/Cobalion Core UU Team)

[nv]

Hiya guys, NV here in my natural habitat of UU. This time around I brought some of my own creativity to the table. I decided I wanted to make a balanced core that isn't a commonly known core like Empoleon and Gligar or Cofagrigus and Umbreon. It involves two very special legendaries, Zapdos and Cobalion. I dubbed it:

ZAPALION!!!
​

Teambuilding Process

Zapdos is first up as it is the reason this team was built. Its defensive qualities tend to be lacking as most go for offensive Zapdos but I wanted to prove that theory wrong.

Cobalion is next up, completing my newly formed Zapalion core while being a fast and hard-hitting utility wall.

Kingdra is a beast in UU. On this team, he counters rain teams with his Swift Swim while covering the only hole this core has, which is Fire.

Gallade is an underrated threat to UU, being stuck in RU. His main goal in this team is to set up and sweep with his greatly aspiring SD set.

Ah, Meloetta, the brunt of so many song jokes. On this team, she makes a nice addition by being able to sweep on both sides with her standard mixed OU set.

Krookodile, left in the dust after ScarfCross was brought to life, makes an infamous return on this team.

Meloetta just wasn't cutting it on this team. Rotom-H provides a solid check to offensive Zapdos and gives my team a little bit more utility and power.

Golurk is a great check to Mienshao, a big threat to this team, and Heracross. His CB set, with some tweaks to fit the meta, is a great addition of offensive power to this team.

The Team

*ALL CHANGES MADE IN PINK*

​

Shellshocked (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 236 SDef / 24 Spd
Calm Nature
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Grass]​

Zapdos is a great offensive Pokemon. My goal, however, was to take this offensive Pokemon and see how well it is on the defensive side. Surprisingly, it can take many hits, even from Heracross and Mienshao, common threats in UU, on the physical side. The specially defensive set complements Cobalion's natural physical bulk and allows for all but one of Cob's weaknesses to be handle just by Zapdo's typing. Discharge is to spread paralysis, allowing my sweepers a chance to come in and well sweep. Roost for obvious recovery, but sometimes can be the bane of Zapdos if the player predicts and uses a Ground- type move. Heat Wave takes care of Steel- types and Heracross. HP Grass is to net a 2HKO on Swampert and a 44.53% chance to 2HKO (99.51% chance to 2HKO after SR) on Rhyperior, common switch ins to Zapdos.​

Cobblestone (Cobalion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 112 Spd / 236 HP / 28 Atk / 132 Def
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Sacred Sword
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave​

Cobalion is a great utility Pokemon while being a physical wall with its great natural physical bulk and EV investment. Cobalion can also be a great offensive threat, hitting everything but Ghost- types with its STAB Sacred Sword. SR is for obvious reasons, making many 2HKOs into OHKOs and allowing residual damage, putting pressure on the other team. Taunt is a surprising factor in my Cobalion set. Taunt allows Cobalion to set up his SR reliably against other slower hazard setters such as Claydol or Gligar. Toxic is for obvious status, statusing the Pokemon not paralyzed by Zapdos' Discharge. Cob's EV spread changed thanks to Gen. It allows Cob to still outspeed positive natured max invested base 90s and slower, allowing Cob to taunt almost all leads (minus Froslass who I no longer have to worry about being UU as she moved to BL, :D) and allow a lack of SR on my side of the field while setting my own SR on their side of the field. T-Wave was a personal change over Toxic to fit the style of this team, which is to paralyze the opposition then bring in Krookodile or Gallade into to sweep with no worries of being outsped sans priority.

Preggers (Kingdra) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Hydro Pump
- Rain Dance
- Surf/Dragon Pulse
Kingdra was blessed with a beautiful typing, offensively and defensively. Slap a Choice Specs on and you got a great wallbreaker and the one threat to this Water/Dragon combo, Empoleon, is taken out swiftly by the team (Cobalion, Zapdos, Gallade, Meloetta (Pirouette Forme), and Krookodile). Draco Meteor is a powerful force and fits the switching nature of using a Choice item as it sharply lowers my SAtk. Hydro Pump is for STAB to hit the only resistors to his Dragon STAB, Steel- types. Dragon Pulse and Surf are for more reliable STABs whenever Kingdra happens to be my last Pokemon or if the other two STABs aren't needed for the OHKO. Rain Dance Kingdra has been a godsend to this team, allowing me to have an answer to Scarfed Pokes/fast threats while alleviating the Zapalion core's one weakness: Fire. Credit goes to Patrick1088 for the original idea and Kitten Milk/Gen for the backing of said idea. Thanks guys!!!

Frank E. Stein (Golurk) @ Choice Band
Trait: Iron Fist
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 188 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Shadow Punch
- Hammer Arm

Golurk is a favorite of mine, brought from the depths of NU to wreck havoc with a CB EQ or STAB Shadow Punch while also providing a solid check to any variant of Mienshao, even ones carrying HP Ice, and any variant of Heracross. Golurk was a suggestion given to me by Psych and so far, I haven't regretted the replacement. The EV spread is a bit different from the one given by Psych, allowing me to still outspeed Blastoise, like Psych stated, but giving me 4 SDef EVs to avoid the possible SAtk boost from P2 or PZ. EQ and Shadow Punch for STAB, Ice Punch to hit Gligar and Grass- types on the switch. Hammer Arm is to get the jump on 2 Pokes, Snorlax and Umbreon, guaranteeing an OHKO on both if SR is up.

Past Teammate

Chef (Gallade) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
- Shadow Sneak

Bringin' Sexy Back (Rotom-Heat) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 168 SAtk / 248 HP / 92 SDef
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Rotom-H is a god send to this team, especially with this bulky spread provided by Brobat. His ability to counter offensive Zapdos, which I found my team has trouble with, and spread paralysis allows this team to let slower sweepers, like Gallade, gain the upper hand against the opponent. It also allows for some easier switch-ins of my core, allowing Cob to Taunt a paralyzed Froslass or Stallbreaker Crobat or Zapdos to Roost in front of a full paralysis. Overheat is for STAB and Volt Switch complements the switching nature that Overheat provides. T-Wave to cripple opponents. HP Ice is to get the jump on Gligar and the way to counter offensive sets of Zapdos. Thanks a lot, Brobat, :)​

Past Teammate

Call Me Maybe (Meloetta) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Serene Grace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SAtk / 56 Atk / 200 Spd
Naive Nature
- Relic Song
- Close Combat
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic

Capt. Hook (Krookodile) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
Krookodile is amazing on this team, being a great revenge killer with Moxie + Choice Scarf. Krookodile and Kingdra tend to be my last two Pokemon alive, either them or my core, when the battle is winding down. He provides a great offensive pressure that is much needed with SR on the field, spreading residual damage. EVs and set is standard and ripped from Smogon. Brobat gave me the idea to run Aerial Ace on Krook over Superpower to get rid of any Hera set swiftly. Thanks goes to Brobat for the idea, :)

Importable

Shellshocked (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 236 SDef / 24 Spd
Calm Nature
- Discharge
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Cobblestone (Cobalion) @ Leftovers
Trait: Justified
EVs: 236 HP / 28 Atk / 132 Def / 112 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Sacred Sword
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave

Preggers (Kingdra) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Surf

Frank E. Stein (Golurk) @ Choice Band
Trait: Iron Fist
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 64 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 188 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Shadow Punch
- Hammer Arm

Bringin' Sexy Back (Rotom-Heat) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 168 SAtk / 92 SDef
Modest Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 Def
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Thunder Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Capt. Hook (Krookodile) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace

Threats

Red = OMG RUN!!!
Orange = Can be taken care of but still poses a threat
Blue = Minor threat

ScarfCross: This thing can wreck if it gets a kill as it can hit everything hard, but since it may be locked into say Megahorn, SE, or CC its threat level isn't horrible unless it has gotten a couple of boosts.

Specs/Swift Swim Kingdra: This thing, if I lose the speed tie with my Kingdra, can wreck my team when RD is up. However, thanks to my core, he can be worn down.

ScarfShao: This can wreck any team, but fortunately, LO + Fake Out and U-Turn is becoming more common than ScarfShao, but still worth a mention.

Hail teams: Hail is a threat, especially with Stallrein in tow. Fortunately using Rain Dance Kingdra which can take care of said teams.

Offensive Zapdos: Can wreck my team thanks to the coverage it has when it comes to my team, but luckily Rotom-H walls it quite nicely.

*********************************The End*********************************

​

 

[Patrick1088]

Cool team! Im seeimg more cobalion which is very good! Just a few points.
1. Im seeing scarf hera as a major threat. Megahorn will do serious damage to meloetta gallade and krookodile while cc will hit cobalion hard. Kingxra is hit hard regardless. Zapdos has a 6% of surviving a stone edge afyer steLth rock. While the odds are in your favor, i think youll need a better check to moxiecross. Krook is good but hera resists its stabs and is neutral to se. May i recommend scarf shao over scarf krook? Even if your main counter in zapdos is taken out uou can at least reliably check hera with shao.
2. Kingdra is good, but personal preference wise i think rain dance version over specs might help more. Rain damce gives you more power on hydro pump and nullifies cobalions fire weakness. Also it gives you the ability to switch moves and rain dance allows kingdra to beat faster foes in rain

3. Gallade is good but i recommend adamamt over jolly. The only noticabld thing youll speed tie is non scarf timid chandy which you have no place in staying in on shadowball. Plus you have shadow sneak to beat chandy.
4. Meloetta is okay but i think your team would benefit more from hazards seeing as how many switches your team wikl force. Its okay in this spot but you may want to consider spikes setter.
Other than that good team!

 

[KM]

Seconding Rain Dance Kingdra. Kingdra is your only answer to strong fire pokes, which UU abounds in. Even rain dance will help alleviate some of that pressure.

I find Gallade's niche as a fighter in UU to be mostly redundant in this team. You don't have a crippling dark weakness whatsoever, in fact you have a 4x resist + justified anyway. I feel like you would benefit more from a strong wallbreaker like banded Victini in that spot (it also gives you another fire resist and a great dark lure for cobal). Krookodile is meh, but if you want to use it go ahead.

Other than that, cool team with lots of underappreciated pokes that could do some serious work. I love the core especially.

 

[nv]

Cool team! Im seeimg more cobalion which is very good! Just a few points.
1. Im seeing scarf hera as a major threat. Megahorn will do serious damage to meloetta gallade and krookodile while cc will hit cobalion hard. Kingxra is hit hard regardless. Zapdos has a 6% of surviving a stone edge afyer steLth rock. While the odds are in your favor, i think youll need a better check to moxiecross. Krook is good but hera resists its stabs and is neutral to se. May i recommend scarf shao over scarf krook? Even if your main counter in zapdos is taken out uou can at least reliably check hera with shao.
2. Kingdra is good, but personal preference wise i think rain dance version over specs might help more. Rain damce gives you more power on hydro pump and nullifies cobalions fire weakness. Also it gives you the ability to switch moves and rain dance allows kingdra to beat faster foes in rain

3. Gallade is good but i recommend adamamt over jolly. The only noticabld thing youll speed tie is non scarf timid chandy which you have no place in staying in on shadowball. Plus you have shadow sneak to beat chandy.
4. Meloetta is okay but i think your team would benefit more from hazards seeing as how many switches your team wikl force. Its okay in this spot but you may want to consider spikes setter.
Other than that good team!

Heya Patrick, thanks for the rate.

1) Scarf Hera is a threat but if I use the right Pokemon for his "predicted" move (i.e. he uses CC on Cob, switch to Zapdos, etc.) the opponent usually switches him out. But he is a definite threat I will take into account.

2) Kingdra's RD set sounds amazing but the reason I hate it is because whenever I have Surf, I need Dragon Pulse, and vice versa. But I will definitely test that set; it seems like a great answer to Cob's weakness.

3) Adamant does sound amazing, as it gives more power, so definitely will try that. Plus a +2 Shadow Sneak has a 50% or more chance to OHKO Chandy.

4) Meloetta is a great asset, but like I said she feels lacking on this particular team so I will definitely test a Spiker (Roserade or Froslass).

Seconding Rain Dance Kingdra. Kingdra is your only answer to strong fire pokes, which UU abounds in. Even rain dance will help alleviate some of that pressure.

I find Gallade's niche as a fighter in UU to be mostly redundant in this team. You don't have a crippling dark weakness whatsoever, in fact you have a 4x resist + justified anyway. I feel like you would benefit more from a strong wallbreaker like banded Victini in that spot (it also gives you another fire resist and a great dark lure for cobal). Krookodile is meh, but if you want to use it go ahead.

Other than that, cool team with lots of underappreciated pokes that could do some serious work. I love the core especially.

Heya Kitten Milk, cannot wait to see your next Monotype RMT. Anyways, onto your rate...

RD Kingdra sounds amazing but my concern is what I stated above. It is definitely worth a test though.

Gallade's niche does seem redundant with Cob and his 4x resist + Justified but Banded Victini and his V-Create will be crippled by RD Kingdra. Is there any other suggestions you can provide? Definitely trying Banded Victini though.

Krookodile is one of those "outclassed" UU Pokemon but he is a fun pokemon to use. A Pokemon suggested by Smogon for RD Kingdra is Hera. Does that sound good for a replacement or is there any suggestions you can think of?

Again thanks for the rates and I really love this team. I hope to "perfect" this team as much as possible and I absolutely adore this core.

 

[GenXXZ]

Hey NV, good to see an RMT from you! Zapdos and Cobalion seems like it'd form a pretty damn awesome core and this team looks like a ton of fun.

First off, if you are indeed going to replace Gallade, I really think that a boosting Pokemon should replace him, specifically a Swords Dance user. I won't deny that Banded Victini is an amazingly powerful wallbreaker, but I think that the ability to boost up, eliminate threats, and abuse setup opportunities is an ability that this team still needs to maintain. Perhaps Swords Dance Virizion over Gallade? You'd get an extra hand against bulky waters, which is never a bad thing.

I third Rain Dance Kingdra, especially if you are planning on testing out Virizion. She needs that support.
Keep using Meloetta. It is seriously criminal how underused that thing is. Least used UU Pokemon in UU, really? IMO Ambipom should be in that spot, haha :)

One last thing, Cobalion EVs. From a lead standpoint, the only common leads that you would outrun that you wouldn't without the investment is unscarfed Mienshao and unscarfed Darmanitan, Pokemon that you only 3-2HKO and Pokemon that you definitely couldn't stall out. I know that is the EV spread that Smogon recommends (And I honestly don't understand why... No explanation is given) but I'd invest a little bit more into bulk. Run 236 HP, 132 Def, 112 Spd, 28 Atk on Cobalion. With 112 Speed EVs, you'll outrun max invested nature boosted base 90s, which is, in my opinion, enough.

That's it from me! Good luck.

 

[nv]

Hey NV, good to see an RMT from you! Zapdos and Cobalion seems like it'd form a pretty damn awesome core and this team looks like a ton of fun.

First off, if you are indeed going to replace Gallade, I really think that a boosting Pokemon should replace him, specifically a Swords Dance user. I won't deny that Banded Victini is an amazingly powerful wallbreaker, but I think that the ability to boost up, eliminate threats, and abuse setup opportunities is an ability that this team still needs to maintain. Perhaps Swords Dance Virizion over Gallade? You'd get an extra hand against bulky waters, which is never a bad thing.

I third Rain Dance Kingdra, especially if you are planning on testing out Virizion. She needs that support.
Keep using Meloetta. It is seriously criminal how underused that thing is. Least used UU Pokemon in UU, really? IMO Ambipom should be in that spot, haha :)

One last thing, Cobalion EVs. From a lead standpoint, the only common leads that you would outrun that you wouldn't without the investment is unscarfed Mienshao and unscarfed Darmanitan, Pokemon that you only 3-2HKO and Pokemon that you definitely couldn't stall out. I know that is the EV spread that Smogon recommends (And I honestly don't understand why... No explanation is given) but I'd invest a little bit more into bulk. Run 236 HP, 132 Def, 112 Spd, 28 Atk on Cobalion. With 112 Speed EVs, you'll outrun max invested nature boosted base 90s, which is, in my opinion, enough.

That's it from me! Good luck.

Heya Gen, :D!!! And yea, it is pretty damn awesome (and you aren't the only making cores up in UU, lol). Anyways, onto the rate...

SD Virizion sounds amazing for a replacement over Gallade but the only thing is with Krookodile, I have a glaring Ice weakness and thus a hail team weakness. I was wondeing if you have a replacement for Krookodile or if a different SD Poke can be used.

I am testing RD Kingdra as I post this and it is doing great so far. Meloetta is so much fun and I agree with Ambipom being low man on the totem pole rather than Meloetta.

The EV spread sounds great, allowing Cob to survive some more harder physical hits while being fast enough to use Taunt effectively. Definitely testing that EV spread.

Thanks for the rate, Gen and I cannot wait to rate more of your teams and you rating mine, lol.

 

[GenXXZ]

What about Scarf Victini > Krookodile? Victini and Cobalion are both pretty great at countering hail so I think if you switch to Victini, you'll be golden. Losing Moxie is gonna bite though, unfortunately the only Moxie abuser in UU not weak to ice is Heracross, and that doesn't really seem like a good fit for this team. Still, keep experimenting around. What may seem like a weakness on paper may be just a minor thing to worry about in practice!

 

[nv]

What about Scarf Victini > Krookodile? Victini and Cobalion are both pretty great at countering hail so I think if you switch to Victini, you'll be golden. Losing Moxie is gonna bite though, unfortunately the only Moxie abuser in UU not weak to ice is Heracross, and that doesn't really seem like a good fit for this team. Still, keep experimenting around. What may seem like a weakness on paper may be just a minor thing to worry about in practice!

Sounds like a plan. I will definitely test it, but yea. Experimenting FTW!!!

 

[CoolStoryBrobat]

Hm, pretty nifty team and now that I've seen how well it plays firsthand, I hope my suggestions can be a bit more effective for ya:

First off I wanna say I really like the core you came up with, of Zapdos and Brobalion together. I saw a core featuring physically defensive Zapdos and specially defensive Empoleon, which I used in the past to some success. It was pretty decent though you had to cover EdgeQuake, so I can see some relevant concepts also apply here in that regard.

The first big issue I can see is you kind of lack a dedicated check for offensive Zapdos, and that game we had really made it evident. Virizion outpaces it and has access to Stone Edge, but bulkier variants of Zapdos can easily survive a Stone Edge and from there go into shenanigans involving Heat Wave, HP Flying, etc. Unless Virizion is already at +2, you're kind of hard pressed to stop Zapdos as best you can. Krookodile's Stone Edge also falls under the same liability here, and this isn't even going into how Stone Edge's accuracy is reputably awful. You mentioned Meloetta as being the most expendable member of this team. As much as I love me some Meloetta, I'm sadly gonna have to suggest replacing it. While your Zapdos can (kinda?) take on offensive Zapdos on its own, you may opt for something that can serve as a much more useful backup check while still putting in general work for your team. You got guys like Porygon2, Raikou, and Rotom-Heat. I know there's other checks such as Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Rhyperior, Flygon, etc. But the only reason I'm not suggesting the is because of all the additional typestacking involved. You'll really open yourself up to Ice-types (even more than you already have) with Virizion, Zapdos and Krookodile being weak to Ice, and only carrying Cobalion as your resist. Weavile's a pertinent threat to this team in that regard, something to also bear in mind.

As for actual improvements on this team, my first one is well...you already saw it, Raikou, Porygon2, or Rotom-Heat > Meloetta. All 3 of them bring something to the table, but they all take something from it too. For instance, you could run SubCM Raikou (preferred since it's meant to be taking on Zapdos) but you'll be stacking Ground weaknesses with Cobalion, and the declining-but-still-relevant Scarf Flygon will have an easy time spamming Earthquake against you. Band is at least outsped and OHKO'd by HP Ice, so there's that...Porygon2 adds another Fighting-type weakness to Krookodile and Cobalion, meaning Scarf Mienshao would be even more of a relevant threat than it already can be against this team. Rotom-Heat (still my favorite pick here, preferably a bulky spread if at all possible) can really do some damage as it can Volt Switch against bulky waters, resist fire moves for you, check Zapdos, and take on Weavile with Overheat and/or Will-O-Wisp if you so choose to run it. You kinda add another Rock-type weakness to Zapdos but it's got surprisingly great synergy with Cobalion, and you get a bit of a Fire/Water/Grass core going on with Virizion in the mix. You also cut down on the Ice weaknesses a bit. Maybe this super custom set should do you some good:

Rotom-Heat @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 96 SpD / 166 SpA
Modest Nature
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp/Thunder Wave
- Pain Split/Hidden Power Ice

Really weird spread, but this is specifically tailored to be able to survive take only up to 33% from even offensive Zapdos' Thunderbolts while being able to hit back with Overheat or Volt Switch to something else with as much power as you can. I tried not to focus too much on making this too defensive since you already do have a Zapdos as your special tank, so this one's afforded a bit of extra power. Will-O-Wisp can come in handy for wrecking physical attackers, though you may want Thunder Wave since this Rotom has no speed whatsoever, and it can cripple switch-ins for the rest of your team to take advantage of. It's up to you, play around with it! Pain Split can get some HP back but you can choose HP Ice if you really want to kill off Zapdos as quick as possible.

You can keep Virizion, though I somewhat feel you may not really require it. I can't entirely think off the top of my head what your team needs but you may want a backup check to the aforementioned Scarf Mienshao, as it has the potential to really mess your team up, given your main physical wall is surprisingly weak to it, and your special wall won't want to take repeated Reckless Hi Jump Kicks (specially not after Stealth Rock) or Stone Edges. As late as it is, the best suggestion I have is to possibly at least try Amoonguss > Virizion. It's a bit funny I suggested the Poke I hate more than anything, but with Amoonguss you still maintain the ability to check water-types while also checking Mienshao at the same time, on top of all the other annoying goodies Amoonguss has. Spore is a generally awesome move, and can even allow Kingdra to bust out a sweep down the road. If anything, try the standard physically defensive set:

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog
- Stun Spore
- Spore

Last but not least, as minor as it is, I actually recommend Aerial Ace > Superpower on Krookodile only because you mentioned Scarf Heracross as being a big threat to your team. Most people hardly ever anticipate the Aerial Ace, which actually flat-out OHKOes Heracross every time, on top of the fact Krook is faster. Superpower can help you but it can also turn you into setup bait though the coverage is handy. Honestly though I feel having a more reliable way to revenge kill Heracross is most important for your team.

Anyway, it's a bit late for me and this is all I got, haha. I hope these suggestions all improve your team to help you grab success, man. Best of luck in the future!

 

[nv]

Hm, pretty nifty team and now that I've seen how well it plays firsthand, I hope my suggestions can be a bit more effective for ya:

First off I wanna say I really like the core you came up with, of Zapdos and Brobalion together. I saw a core featuring physically defensive Zapdos and specially defensive Empoleon, which I used in the past to some success. It was pretty decent though you had to cover EdgeQuake, so I can see some relevant concepts also apply here in that regard.

The first big issue I can see is you kind of lack a dedicated check for offensive Zapdos, and that game we had really made it evident. Virizion outpaces it and has access to Stone Edge, but bulkier variants of Zapdos can easily survive a Stone Edge and from there go into shenanigans involving Heat Wave, HP Flying, etc. Unless Virizion is already at +2, you're kind of hard pressed to stop Zapdos as best you can. Krookodile's Stone Edge also falls under the same liability here, and this isn't even going into how Stone Edge's accuracy is reputably awful. You mentioned Meloetta as being the most expendable member of this team. As much as I love me some Meloetta, I'm sadly gonna have to suggest replacing it. While your Zapdos can (kinda?) take on offensive Zapdos on its own, you may opt for something that can serve as a much more useful backup check while still putting in general work for your team. You got guys like Porygon2, Raikou, and Rotom-Heat. I know there's other checks such as Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Rhyperior, Flygon, etc. But the only reason I'm not suggesting the is because of all the additional typestacking involved. You'll really open yourself up to Ice-types (even more than you already have) with Virizion, Zapdos and Krookodile being weak to Ice, and only carrying Cobalion as your resist. Weavile's a pertinent threat to this team in that regard, something to also bear in mind.

As for actual improvements on this team, my first one is well...you already saw it, Raikou, Porygon2, or Rotom-Heat > Meloetta. All 3 of them bring something to the table, but they all take something from it too. For instance, you could run SubCM Raikou (preferred since it's meant to be taking on Zapdos) but you'll be stacking Ground weaknesses with Cobalion, and the declining-but-still-relevant Scarf Flygon will have an easy time spamming Earthquake against you. Band is at least outsped and OHKO'd by HP Ice, so there's that...Porygon2 adds another Fighting-type weakness to Krookodile and Cobalion, meaning Scarf Mienshao would be even more of a relevant threat than it already can be against this team. Rotom-Heat (still my favorite pick here, preferably a bulky spread if at all possible) can really do some damage as it can Volt Switch against bulky waters, resist fire moves for you, check Zapdos, and take on Weavile with Overheat and/or Will-O-Wisp if you so choose to run it. You kinda add another Rock-type weakness to Zapdos but it's got surprisingly great synergy with Cobalion, and you get a bit of a Fire/Water/Grass core going on with Virizion in the mix. You also cut down on the Ice weaknesses a bit. Maybe this super custom set should do you some good:

Rotom-Heat @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 96 SpD / 166 SpA
Modest Nature
- Overheat
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp/Thunder Wave
- Pain Split/Hidden Power Ice

Really weird spread, but this is specifically tailored to be able to survive take only up to 33% from even offensive Zapdos' Thunderbolts while being able to hit back with Overheat or Volt Switch to something else with as much power as you can. I tried not to focus too much on making this too defensive since you already do have a Zapdos as your special tank, so this one's afforded a bit of extra power. Will-O-Wisp can come in handy for wrecking physical attackers, though you may want Thunder Wave since this Rotom has no speed whatsoever, and it can cripple switch-ins for the rest of your team to take advantage of. It's up to you, play around with it! Pain Split can get some HP back but you can choose HP Ice if you really want to kill off Zapdos as quick as possible.

You can keep Virizion, though I somewhat feel you may not really require it. I can't entirely think off the top of my head what your team needs but you may want a backup check to the aforementioned Scarf Mienshao, as it has the potential to really mess your team up, given your main physical wall is surprisingly weak to it, and your special wall won't want to take repeated Reckless Hi Jump Kicks (specially not after Stealth Rock) or Stone Edges. As late as it is, the best suggestion I have is to possibly at least try Amoonguss > Virizion. It's a bit funny I suggested the Poke I hate more than anything, but with Amoonguss you still maintain the ability to check water-types while also checking Mienshao at the same time, on top of all the other annoying goodies Amoonguss has. Spore is a generally awesome move, and can even allow Kingdra to bust out a sweep down the road. If anything, try the standard physically defensive set:

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
- Giga Drain
- Clear Smog
- Stun Spore
- Spore

Last but not least, as minor as it is, I actually recommend Aerial Ace > Superpower on Krookodile only because you mentioned Scarf Heracross as being a big threat to your team. Most people hardly ever anticipate the Aerial Ace, which actually flat-out OHKOes Heracross every time, on top of the fact Krook is faster. Superpower can help you but it can also turn you into setup bait though the coverage is handy. Honestly though I feel having a more reliable way to revenge kill Heracross is most important for your team.

Anyway, it's a bit late for me and this is all I got, haha. I hope these suggestions all improve your team to help you grab success, man. Best of luck in the future!

Heya Brobat. Our battle was so much fun and I am glad to see you could rate my team. Thanks, :D

Raikou, P2, or Rotom-H seem like plausible ideas over Meloetta and will definitely test them (currently testing Rotom-H and he is a beauty with your custom spread).

Amoonguss sounds interesting. but seems to me to make a "set up sweeper" role turn to defense and was wondering if that was the goal, lol. But definitely will consider it, :D

Aerial Ace over Superpower is amazing on Krookodile. Has saved me from a few Hera (Banded or Scarfed it doesn't matter) sweeps and am happy to say it is a definite replacement, :)

Thanks again for the rate and can't wait to battle you again, if I find you lurking around UU that is, lol.

 

[Psychotic]

Hi Nightmare Vampire, first of all, this team looks really, really fun to use. There is one major, major issue you need to address, though.

Teammate Suggestions:
Life Orb Mienshao is basically an insta-loss for your team, you can't even play around it. It outspeeds 5/6 of your team members, and with SR up, it 1HKO's 5/6 of your team, easily 2HKOing Gallade as well. Your only hope of beating it is hoping for either a miss, or that the opponent is stupid enough to leave it in on your Krookodile. I think, therefore, that you should replace Gallade with a Support Golurk. Golurk gives your team the Mienshao counter that it needs, as well as a decent check to Rhyperior and Raikou, who are much more minor threats to your team. It also can provide Stealth Rock, allowing for a more threatening Cobalion set to be used.

Moveset Suggestions:
Since Golurk can now provide Stealth Rock support, you should change your current Cobalion set to Swords Dance. With max speed, Cobalion also checks LO Mienshao, outspeeding and 1HKOing it with Close Combat. The other set you were using can't do much damage, this set allows you to use Cobal to it's full potential as a bulky, hard-hitter, breaking down walls for either Meloetta or Krookodile to sweep.

Suggested Changes:

Hide

Golurk @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 176 Spd / 80 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Shadow Punch
- Ice Punch
- Stealth Rock

Cobalion @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- Stone Edge

I really do think this is an awesome team, hope the suggestions help!

 

[nv]

Hi Nightmare Vampire, first of all, this team looks really, really fun to use. There is one major, major issue you need to address, though.

Teammate Suggestions:
Life Orb Mienshao is basically an insta-loss for your team, you can't even play around it. It outspeeds 5/6 of your team members, and with SR up, it 1HKO's 5/6 of your team, easily 2HKOing Gallade as well. Your only hope of beating it is hoping for either a miss, or that the opponent is stupid enough to leave it in on your Krookodile. I think, therefore, that you should replace Gallade with a Support Golurk. Golurk gives your team the Mienshao counter that it needs, as well as a decent check to Rhyperior and Raikou, who are much more minor threats to your team. It also can provide Stealth Rock, allowing for a more threatening Cobalion set to be used.

Moveset Suggestions:
Since Golurk can now provide Stealth Rock support, you should change your current Cobalion set to Swords Dance. With max speed, Cobalion also checks LO Mienshao, outspeeding and 1HKOing it with Close Combat. The other set you were using can't do much damage, this set allows you to use Cobal to it's full potential as a bulky, hard-hitter, breaking down walls for either Meloetta or Krookodile to sweep.

Suggested Changes:

Hide

Golurk @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 176 Spd / 80 HP / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Shadow Punch
- Ice Punch
- Stealth Rock

Cobalion @ Life Orb
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- Stone Edge

I really do think this is an awesome team, hope the suggestions help!

Hiya, Psych. Thanks for rating my team. And it was/is a lot of fun to play with. Onto your rate...

LO Mienshao is a problem, one I have taken into account. Golurk sounds like a great answer to that and sounds awesome, however Cob is supposed to be his utility set as it solidifies his role in the Zapalion core. Is there another set for Golurk making him more offensively inclined? I will definitely test your idea but the idea behind Cob is to use his utility with Zapdos' utility to make a great core. Golurk sounds fun to play with as he isn't in the UU tier and seems like a great answer to many of my threats.

Glad you think this team is awesome and hope to see more rates from you on my future RMTs, :D

 

[Psychotic]

Ya, you could also use a Choice Band set on Golurk if you didn't want to use the support set. Choice Band is pretty damn strong, and almost no one expects this set so you get a lot of surprise KO's on things expecting it to hit much less hard. This set kinda relies on prediction, but the sheer power of it can often make up for mispredictions that you make earlier in the game. Here is the set you should use:

Golurk @ Choice Band
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 64 HP / 192 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Shadow Punch
- Hammer Arm

This set gives it enough speed to outpace Blastoise and anything slower. This set sticks to the offensive nature of your team while still helping to check major threats that I mentioned in my previous post. Hammer Arm does a ton of damage with the Band and Iron Fist boost, and allows you to hit mildly fast switch-ins and outspeed them the next turn.

 

[nv]

Ya, you could also use a Choice Band set on Golurk if you didn't want to use the support set. Choice Band is pretty damn strong, and almost no one expects this set so you get a lot of surprise KO's on things expecting it to hit much less hard. This set kinda relies on prediction, but the sheer power of it can often make up for mispredictions that you make earlier in the game. Here is the set you should use:

Golurk @ Choice Band
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 64 HP / 192 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Shadow Punch
- Hammer Arm

This set gives it enough speed to outpace Blastoise and anything slower. This set sticks to the offensive nature of your team while still helping to check major threats that I mentioned in my previous post. Hammer Arm does a ton of damage with the Band and Iron Fist boost, and allows you to hit mildly fast switch-ins and outspeed them the next turn.

Sounds like an idea. Testing time!!! Lol.

Also, after much testing, I am leaning towards replacing Meloetta with Rotom-H as per Brobat's suggestion and I find Krookodile is somewhat lacking. If Rotom-H becomes a definite part of this team, my team's goal seems to be to paralyze the opposition then sweep. Krookodile is no longer needed as I wouldn't need a Scarfed Poke to outspeed as I will outspeed after paralysis. So any suggestions for replacing Krookodile? (Currently testing SD Hera for a boosting sweeper and he seems great but want some more suggestions, lol.)