Battle Spot Teambuilding Discussion & Help Thread (read post #453, page 19)

This is my first time posting here and would like some help with my bs singles team my general idea was a bulk mon, Special sweeperror, and a physical sweeper. I'm very new too competitive pokemon any and all help finishing this team is appreciated.

Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Focus Blast
- Taunt

Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 92 Def / 140 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Synthesis
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Garchomp @ Salac Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Substitute
 
Hi there

I've dabbled with battling back in gen 5 but only casually, wanting to make my way in but it's all a bit overwhelming!

I've been told I'm best with a 'good stuff' team to start, so here's (probably) 5:

Garchomp @ Focus Sash
Ability:Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Tomb


Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability:Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk, 30 Def
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Nasty Plot


Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability:Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power-Up Punch
- Double Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Earthquake


Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 228 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 12 SpDef / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Knock Off


Gengar @ Gengarite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Destiny Bond
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb

Think the baseline plan is Thundurus or Garchomp can both lead...if it's a favourable start then Nasty Plot and start some damage, or Thunderwave to start the switch. Garchomp can put stealth rock up and look to come back later due to sash. Between them both I should be able to slow and damage for pressure, giving Kanga a sweep. Maybe Kanga should be adamant, but feels like jolly hedges bets if I have to bring him earlier (and lean on power-up to make up the attack boost)

the options for when things aren't looking so great on team preview:

Azumarill in for Knock off (Pory2, Rocky Helmet, Leftovers since I've got bulky sweepers, not glass cannons)
Gengar as alternative mega when Kanga is really bad?

What 6th pokemon should I be picking up? I feel like it should be something defensive for options...Ferrothorn? Porygon2? Any moves or pokemon I should be looking to switch out?

EDIT: Particularly wondering if my Gengar set is right? Will-O-Wisp feels handy for physical attackers, but if I pick up a Porygon2 or Ferrothorn it's likely I T-Wave, giving me 2 mons bringing paralysis? Thoughts on swapping it for taunt and EVs to a more offensive option?
 
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This is my first time posting here and would like some help with my bs singles team my general idea was a bulk mon, Special sweeperror, and a physical sweeper. I'm very new too competitive pokemon any and all help finishing this team is appreciated.

Gengar @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Bomb
- Focus Blast
- Taunt

Venusaur-Mega @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 92 Def / 140 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Synthesis
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Garchomp @ Salac Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Substitute
I don't like LO on Gengar, I think it shood be sash. If you do keep LO to Destiny Bond is bettr than Taunt. Prolly is even sash, since no one is gonna try to status Gengar or anything if they kno it's not mega.

Venu those are some fanct evs. But they only add up to 492 if my math is right, so you have 16 extra. Maybe max out HP and put 8 more in Def?

Never seen SubSalac Chomp, very creative. Not sure it's good tho, for a number of reasons. Dragon/ Ground covrage can't hit some things fer good damage at all, like Skarmory and Togekiss. Those aren't that common I guess(tho Togekiss in particular looks great vs yer team so far,) but some moves that get past Chomp like Sylveon's Hyper Voice and Mamo's Icicle Spear hit through sub(at least Icicle Spear the ferst hit just breaks the sub, but it has a good chance to hit enough to kill after breaking the sub, and Cloyster will always hit enough times. ofc that's not very common eithr...)

Another problem is no recovery. Rocky Helmet mons that can break yer sub easy(TBH most anything can break Chomp's sub in one hit) can hurt Chomp a lot. They might have some trouble with SD boosted moves, but Cress is one of the big Helmet users, and can take a +2 attack fine. Honestly tho it might not be that bad, have you used it any? Curious to kno how it duz.

So now threats you got so far. I'd say Talon. At the very least it takes Gengar down to its sash, and does a ton to Venu. Can play around Chomp a bit-CB U-Turn breaks sub and then it can switch out to a fairy type since that's immune to dragon. If it takes a lot from EQ you have to play the guessing game odf will thery switch back to Talon.

Thundurus doesn't seem very nice. It can take a hit from Gengar and ohko/down to sash, and t-Wave completely ruins any Gengar. Venu isn't so bad, and Psychic and Swagger are fairly rare. Still you get that T-Wave which isn't very fun. Chomp is outsped and ohkod by offensive Thund, while defensive ones can take a +2 Dragon Claw and still hit plenty hard with HP Ice.

Last one I wanna say is...watch out for Mamo. Sash beats Gengar and Chomp all the time(plus two chances for Fissure to hit Venu. Also Endeavor is a thing that can bring it down to 1 HP after you bring Mamo to its sash,) and there's some trouble with AV too. It can live 2 Giga Drains from Venu to fish for an ohko with Fissure, and Gengar won't kill it and subsequently dies to Icicle Spear. Mamo won't take +2 Dragon Claw from Chomp if it's AV, but it still has Ice Shard which duz a lot and kos Chomp if weakened and not behind a sub.
 
Hi guys, first time posting here.

I have started just now playing Pokemon competitively and I need a bit of advice, as last time I played was on 3rd gen (so I know very little of the new 4-5-6 gens).


That's my team atm, for BS Singles:

Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 50
EVs: 44 HP, 252 Atk, 212 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- U-Turn
- Roost

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Early Bird (farming BP to get Scrappy with the item)
Level: 50
EVs: 92 HP, 252 Atk, 44 Def, 52 SpD, 68 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: Perfects (first 6 IV through breeding!)
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch
- Rock Tomb

Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Toxic
- Rock Tomb

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP, 252 SpA, 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- King's Shield
- Sacred Sword

Landorus-T @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 SpeJolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-Turn
- Knock Off

Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
I did a few battles with those and it went pretty ok, as long as I recognized the opposing pokemons (I encountered many japanese players with japanese-named pokemon that I didn't know and couldn't search for them on the net lol).

The biggest problem I faced was Cloyster, I tried with Thundurus but when I switch into it they usually take that free-turn to increase their Speed and Attack and then start spamming Ice Shard before I can make any move.
I'm currently breeding an Azumarill, as I think it could be a good counter for it.

Other than that, games went pretty smoothly, sometimes I lost because of misplays from my part (I'm still pretty noob), not knowing well new Pokemons and the "usual" movesets. Garchomp feels pretty good against all those Kangaskhans and other physical attackers, with Toxic I'm usually able to debilitate the switching Pokemon, and spamming Rock Tomb gives me an out when I switch into Aegislash Sweeper against faster Pokemons. I really like Kangaskhan's Parental Bond, are there any other moves which I can use to abuse it (like Rock Tomb for -2 Spe or Power-Up Punch for +2 Atk)?

Any help to make this comp more viable? I see there are many weaknesses (like having a lot of pokemons that die to Water/Ice-type moves and such), but I have a bit of difficulties to find the right Pokemons to improve it.

Oh, and are there any articles on Smogon that go deep in Strategy of Battlespot Singles? I saw on the homepage there are many OU articles, and in the forum there are some topics I'm currently reading to have an idea of what's going on.

Thanks :)
 
Hi guys, first time posting here.

I have started just now playing Pokemon competitively and I need a bit of advice, as last time I played was on 3rd gen (so I know very little of the new 4-5-6 gens).


That's my team atm, for BS Singles:



I did a few battles with those and it went pretty ok, as long as I recognized the opposing pokemons (I encountered many japanese players with japanese-named pokemon that I didn't know and couldn't search for them on the net lol).

The biggest problem I faced was Cloyster, I tried with Thundurus but when I switch into it they usually take that free-turn to increase their Speed and Attack and then start spamming Ice Shard before I can make any move.
I'm currently breeding an Azumarill, as I think it could be a good counter for it.

Other than that, games went pretty smoothly, sometimes I lost because of misplays from my part (I'm still pretty noob), not knowing well new Pokemons and the "usual" movesets. Garchomp feels pretty good against all those Kangaskhans and other physical attackers, with Toxic I'm usually able to debilitate the switching Pokemon, and spamming Rock Tomb gives me an out when I switch into Aegislash Sweeper against faster Pokemons. I really like Kangaskhan's Parental Bond, are there any other moves which I can use to abuse it (like Rock Tomb for -2 Spe or Power-Up Punch for +2 Atk)?

Any help to make this comp more viable? I see there are many weaknesses (like having a lot of pokemons that die to Water/Ice-type moves and such), but I have a bit of difficulties to find the right Pokemons to improve it.

Oh, and are there any articles on Smogon that go deep in Strategy of Battlespot Singles? I saw on the homepage there are many OU articles, and in the forum there are some topics I'm currently reading to have an idea of what's going on.

Thanks :)
Currently, my favorite counter(s) to cloyster are rotom-Wash and ferrothorn. Both are physically defensive and resist water, and rotom wash resists icicle spear as well! Both mons also have ways of dealing with shell smash in the form of thunder wave or will o wisp. Mach punch users like conkeldurr are also good against cloyster since it isn't weak to the spear.

As for strategy guides, I just looked on YouTube for guides TBH. GroudonEmpire is kinda out of date but gives you a great way to team build and see the metagame. One of the best resources to use is the Pokemon global link, it shows the top ten Pokemon used, their preferred items, move sets, natures, top 10 teammates, most Pokemon beaten, and most Pokemon that beat them. Let me grab a link for you

Edit: https://3ds-sp.pokemon-gl.com/battle/oras/#single
Click on that link, it should bring up the stats for the most used Pokemon in the game. After that, I'd just do some research on Pokemon and teams. You can do that in the smogon strategy pokedex, search individual Pokemon on the PGL (Pokemon global link), or test them in game. Hope this helps, this is how I built my team
 
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Legolax

Currently, my favorite counter(s) to cloyster are rotom-Wash and ferrothorn. Both are physically defensive and resist water, and rotom wash resists icicle spear as well! Both mons also have ways of dealing with shell smash in the form of thunder wave or will o wisp. Mach punch users like conkeldurr are also good against cloyster since it isn't weak to the spear.

As for strategy guides, I just looked on YouTube for guides TBH. GroudonEmpire is kinda out of date but gives you a great way to team build and see the metagame. One of the best resources to use is the Pokemon global link, it shows the top ten Pokemon used, their preferred items, move sets, natures, top 10 teammates, most Pokemon beaten, and most Pokemon that beat them. Let me grab a link for you

Edit: https://3ds-sp.pokemon-gl.com/battle/oras/#single
Click on that link, it should bring up the stats for the most used Pokemon in the game. After that, I'd just do some research on Pokemon and teams. You can do that in the smogon strategy pokedex, search individual Pokemon on the PGL (Pokemon global link), or test them in game. Hope this helps, this is how I built my team
For stats, this is a bit better http://battlespotstats.com/
Since it shows stuff beyond just the top 12. All global link tells you is "Here's the current Japanese monopoly on [metagame], and the top 12 most popular pokemons with some moves".

And yeah we kinda need more battle-spot teambuilding tutorials, I'd do Doubles but YouTube isn't my thing. I'm way too sexy, I have an American accent, and I don't sound like an angry 9 year old boy / angry feminist.
Teambuilding Workshop exists here though, singles usually gets some advice too. Doubles I help where I can but yeah... lol.

Oh, and DragonWhale does videos iirc too, no idea what his channel is though.
 

ethan06

⋖(☼┆☼)⋗
is a Community Contributor Alumnus
bulky steels are generally your best out when coping with cloyster - water resist isn't that crucial as the majority of cloyster run something like shell smash/icicle spear/rock blast/ice shard, so my personal favourite cloyster check is aegislash. ferrothorn works too but with any of these bulky checks it's possible to still lose to king's rock, sooooo i prefer aegi for its access to shadow sneak. going off the assumption that razor shell cloy is vanishingly rare, a well-played blaziken can also give cloyster a run for its money by outspeeding shell smash boosts and demolishing with hjk. be careful with protect though, some good cloyster players like to stack boosts on predicted protects. rotom-wash makes a good pair with blaziken as it can volt switch out on an unboosted cloyster with relative ease, thereby getting blaziken a relatively free speed boost (if cloyster switches or shell smashes) with can then can *theoretically* be turned into two with protect (again, be aware of the possibility of the cloyster player potentially getting greedy).
 
Thanks for the answers guys, replying in order:

Redvader8: I'll check GroudonEmpire, I usually watch PokeAIMD's videos but they are mostly Smogon Tiers, and I already look usually on the top10 metagame on PGL (most of my team should check the top10 pokemons here).

ProjectTitan313: Thanks for the link, I didn't know that one! I'll check Teambuilding Workshop too :)

ethan06: Thanks for the analysis, very clear!

So the general consensus is to play some kind of Steel type Pokemon, and I have Aegislash for that. I usually use him earlier on, but probably this is a mistake (I should use it later when the opposing team is debilitated from my other pokemons, right?).

Looking at the Top12 on PGL, I would like to know from you if there's anything I'm missing in my team:
-Kangaskhan: counter to Gengar (need to get Scrappy tho), enemy Kangaskhan, overall pretty solid (should be able to take down Talonflame, Greninja and many other "random" encounters);
-Garchomp: counter to Talonflame, Thundurus, Blaziken, Rotom-W, and many other physical attackers;
-Aegislash: counter to Gengar, Cresselia, solid sweeper overall (with Policy);
-Talonflame: counter to Blaziken, pretty solid with access to U-Turn and very damaging Brave Bird;
-Landorus-T: counter to Rotom, Blaziken, Talonflame, Thundurus, Salamence. Probably Choice Scarf is not the best item here, as I saw that giving a free-turn to enemies (when switching) usually gives them an opportunity to power-up and then start sweeping. Could Life Orb be good? Or Earthplate?
-Thundurus: counter to Azumarill, Talonflame, and good against any physical attacker that doesn't OHKO him (Thunder Wave should get'em)

That said, I think I don't have many counters to pokemons such as Azumarill, Salamence. Should I find room for something like Blaziken+Rotom or just stick with another Steel type like Ferrothorn? I saw from the Smogon Dex that Hydreigon is good alongside Aegislash because they cover pretty much every type, and this one could be a good check to every non-fairy pokemon with Draco Meteor (+Scarf).

What do you guys think?
Thanks :)
 

ethan06

⋖(☼┆☼)⋗
is a Community Contributor Alumnus
I think you have more of a problem with Gengar than you think you do - Kangaskhan is not a counter to Gengar, oftentimes it's the other way around as Kangaskhan is pretty weak when it isn't mega-evolved, and Gengar has a greater speed tier and moves that it can use to dodge Sucker Punch, like Will-o-Wisp and Destiny Bond. Similarly, Aegislash has the advantage but isn't a counter by any means - Gengar will pretty much always cripple or heavily damage Aegislash in a 1v1 with Taunt, Shadow Ball, Destiny Bond or even Hypnosis. Honestly, your best bet is to keep the Choice Scarf on Landorus (which, by the way, is countered hard by Rotom, not the other way around - Rotom generally has a good time with this team as Garchomp struggles with it too) and run Knock Off, and use Brave Bird against it a lot. Thundurus can also soft-check with Thunder Wave.

A quick fix I'd make to this team is to swap your Garchomp out for a Hydreigon - Garchomp and Landorus are a little redundant due to both being Ground-types and stacking a 4x Ice weakness, and while Garchomp is great it isn't really bringing anything to the team. Hydreigon beats Gengar and Rotom for you and synergises perfectly with Aegislash. Because you Choice Scarf is taken up I'd run Specs for the big damage.
 
Ok thanks for the help, I'll start breeding a Hydreigon then.

Is there a specific reason on why you chose to take away Garchomp over Landorus? Is usually 1 dragon type enough in a team? Or is it for the move coverage?

For now thanks everyone for the help, I'll post some results when I'll battle with them!
 

ethan06

⋖(☼┆☼)⋗
is a Community Contributor Alumnus
mostly it was to avoid doubling up on types, but also I was a little worried about the stacked Ice weakness. You could run Garchomp and Hydra together, but I feel like Landorus brings a lot more to the table in terms of utility, with Intimidate, Knock Off and U-Turn providing more effective counterplay against both offense and stall archetypes (Knocking off Eviolites from Chansey and Porygon2 and gaining switch initiative when opponents have hard Lando counters like Rotom-W).
 
Hi all, I'm new here and needed some help and input on finishing up a team for singles. I've been playing since RSE but never really went into anything competitive until now. Here's what I've got together so far.

Garchomp Rocky Helmet
Ability:Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Jolly
-Earthquake
-Dragon claw
-Stone edge
-Swords dance

Greninja Life Orb
Ability:Protean
EVs: 252 SpAtk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Mild
-Spikes
-Hydro pump
-Ice beam
-Dark pulse

Kangaskhan @Khangaskanite
Ability:Scrappy --> Paternal Bond
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Hasty
-Earthquake
-Fake out
-Return
-Flamethrower

Aegislash Leftovers
Ability:Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 HP/ 4 Def
Nature: Brave
-King's shield
-Sacred Sword
-Shadow Sneak
-Swords Dance

Suicune @Chesto Berry
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Def/ 252 HP/ 4 Spe
-Rest
-Ice beam
-Calm mind
-Scald

I feel like my team is too offensive right now and was wondering if I could get some pointers on what I should do about that. I also need help figuring out what I should have as a 6th, I'm considering Ferrothorn or M-Venu for some grass type coverage. I am also aware that Kangashkan and Greninja's natures aren't optimal so I'm working on getting some better ones.
 
Hi all, I'm new here and needed some help and input on finishing up a team for singles. I've been playing since RSE but never really went into anything competitive until now. Here's what I've got together so far.

Garchomp Rocky Helmet
Ability:Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Jolly
-Earthquake
-Dragon claw
-Stone edge
-Swords dance

Greninja Life Orb
Ability:Protean
EVs: 252 SpAtk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Mild
-Spikes
-Hydro pump
-Ice beam
-Dark pulse

Kangaskhan @Khangaskanite
Ability:Scrappy --> Paternal Bond
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Hasty
-Earthquake
-Fake out
-Return
-Flamethrower

Aegislash Leftovers
Ability:Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 HP/ 4 Def
Nature: Brave
-King's shield
-Sacred Sword
-Shadow Sneak
-Swords Dance

Suicune @Chesto Berry
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Def/ 252 HP/ 4 Spe
-Rest
-Ice beam
-Calm mind
-Scald

I feel like my team is too offensive right now and was wondering if I could get some pointers on what I should do about that. I also need help figuring out what I should have as a 6th, I'm considering Ferrothorn or M-Venu for some grass type coverage. I am also aware that Kangashkan and Greninja's natures aren't optimal so I'm working on getting some better ones.
Offensive teams like yours really needs at least 1 pivot pokemon that can check switch-ins and safely bring your 3rd sweeper. Rotom-W, Zapdos, Ferrothorn, or Sableye come to mind and will help you setup your sweepers with T-wave/WoW/other support moves and will be able to get in your sweepers safely. Rotom-W is especially good at this because it can WoW slower, physical threats and Volt Switch out versus faster threats to bring in a sweeper safely. Unless it's a SpD variant, it doesn't take stuff like Thunderbolt or Giga Drain very well, so it's usually paired with a SpD wall or a bulky steel-type pokemon.

Get rid of spikes on Greninja and consider running Timid for better speed or Naive if you're going to put gunkshot/lowkick on your greninja. He gets STAB on everything, so the nature is usually +speed oriented. Gunk shot is good for fairies, and low-kick is pretty good vs Kangaskhan and Ferrothorn. If you're going to keep the mild nature, grass knot is a good choice for grass coverage. If you're really insistent on the entry hazards, use toxic spikes instead of spikes.

I would highly consider using Outrage on Garchomp..the extra dmg after an SD or DD boost is insane. Not sure if rocky helmet is the best choice on him since he's built as a sweeper, not a tank. Lum Berry or Salac berry might make more sense.

I like the bait Flamethrower on Khangaskhan, but you're covering steel-type pokemon twice over? If you're that concerned about steel-type pokemon or Ferrothorn, Magnezone is an option you could consider as your 6th slot, as well as Talonflame, Conkeldurr, or Scizor. A lot of Kangaskhans run Power-up punch/Secret power/EQ, with the last move usually being Ice punch.

You also have no good switch-ins if someone brings in a check to your Suicune...for that reason alone, you might consider using Mirror coat and turn your Suicune into a lure/support Rocky helmet with Mirror coat/Scald/Icy Wind/Toxic or Roar. If you want to keep the restochesto Suicune, you'll have to find a way to deal with grass-type pokemon...Safety Goggles Zapdos with Heat wave or Mamoswine would probably be your best bet.
 
Hi guys, first time posting here.

I have started just now playing Pokemon competitively and I need a bit of advice, as last time I played was on 3rd gen (so I know very little of the new 4-5-6 gens).


That's my team atm, for BS Singles:



I did a few battles with those and it went pretty ok, as long as I recognized the opposing pokemons (I encountered many japanese players with japanese-named pokemon that I didn't know and couldn't search for them on the net lol).

The biggest problem I faced was Cloyster, I tried with Thundurus but when I switch into it they usually take that free-turn to increase their Speed and Attack and then start spamming Ice Shard before I can make any move.
I'm currently breeding an Azumarill, as I think it could be a good counter for it.

Other than that, games went pretty smoothly, sometimes I lost because of misplays from my part (I'm still pretty noob), not knowing well new Pokemons and the "usual" movesets. Garchomp feels pretty good against all those Kangaskhans and other physical attackers, with Toxic I'm usually able to debilitate the switching Pokemon, and spamming Rock Tomb gives me an out when I switch into Aegislash Sweeper against faster Pokemons. I really like Kangaskhan's Parental Bond, are there any other moves which I can use to abuse it (like Rock Tomb for -2 Spe or Power-Up Punch for +2 Atk)?

Any help to make this comp more viable? I see there are many weaknesses (like having a lot of pokemons that die to Water/Ice-type moves and such), but I have a bit of difficulties to find the right Pokemons to improve it.

Oh, and are there any articles on Smogon that go deep in Strategy of Battlespot Singles? I saw on the homepage there are many OU articles, and in the forum there are some topics I'm currently reading to have an idea of what's going on.

Thanks :)
Pretty good team overall. A lot of stuff like ChompDog being redundant peeplee have hit on, but i still see some more that cood changr.

Talon you don't really need Spe for Mence without WoW, since the only other thing you'd be doing is priority Brave Bird. Might want Spe for Chomp, but all you'd do is U-Turn, bar the priority ofc but no Spe needed for that. So running a lot less Spe so Talon can actually be sorta bulky(fpr Roost, otherwise might as well run WoW) looks like a good idea. idk how much, really depends what u have trubblle with.

Speaking of Chomp, you have a big problem with it. #1 mon, so u can't ignore that. No ice coverage, and you either have a slower dragon that gets ohkod or your Helmet Chomp which ies plainly to the xcommon sash or scarf Chomps, and also any others if it loses the Spe tie. Landog does good against Chomp with Intimidate to soften Outrages and a fast EQ to hit hard, but it's not good as ye only real anser. -1 252 atk Outrage is a 52% to 2hko, so switching in is tough. You lose if you switch in on Rock Tomb and Chomp can take 1 EQ, and scarf is also trubble. Some ways to bettr your match up vs Chomp are running WoW on Talon, HP Ice on Thund, Ice Punch on Kang, a physically bulky Aegi, or sash Hydra.

Kang i really don't like Rock Tomb. I gess it's viable, but that kind of utility is more suitable to a mon that doesn't hit so hard. It's still fairly tough, but you get more out of Rock Slide. That's also another move Parental Bond abuses, two 30% chances to flinch means they flinch about half the time. If you go with that Secret Power over Return is good, and you cood run no Spe then. Also if you don't do that you want DE over Return. In Singles the recoil tends to matter less with just 3 mons, and that xtra powr does a lot.

Other than that not much. I'd watch out fer Breloom, but i have a phobia of it. You might actually be ok. Cloyster i gess i can see how it's a problem. Not too big, but it's important to kno what to do. Kang you cood run more physical bulkto take +2 Spear most of the time. Right now you basically have no chance. If you opt fer Secret Power, kno that does a lot to -1 Def Cloyster and if it gets parad you can finish it with Sucker. Aegi you prolly kno, but be sure to use Shadow Ball on Cloyster insted of SS cuz its SpD is way werse. Thund you cood run bulk to take +2 Shard and para unless it's Lum. Takes quite a bit of evs tho.

Hope that helps, good luck:) Err, also you ain't supposed to post full teams here even if you do want help. idk if anyone will care, but just kno fer next time

Hi all, I'm new here and needed some help and input on finishing up a team for singles. I've been playing since RSE but never really went into anything competitive until now. Here's what I've got together so far.

Garchomp Rocky Helmet
Ability:Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Jolly
-Earthquake
-Dragon claw
-Stone edge
-Swords dance

Greninja Life Orb
Ability:Protean
EVs: 252 SpAtk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Mild
-Spikes
-Hydro pump
-Ice beam
-Dark pulse

Kangaskhan @Khangaskanite
Ability:Scrappy --> Paternal Bond
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
Nature: Hasty
-Earthquake
-Fake out
-Return
-Flamethrower

Aegislash Leftovers
Ability:Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 HP/ 4 Def
Nature: Brave
-King's shield
-Sacred Sword
-Shadow Sneak
-Swords Dance

Suicune @Chesto Berry
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 Def/ 252 HP/ 4 Spe
-Rest
-Ice beam
-Calm mind
-Scald

I feel like my team is too offensive right now and was wondering if I could get some pointers on what I should do about that. I also need help figuring out what I should have as a 6th, I'm considering Ferrothorn or M-Venu for some grass type coverage. I am also aware that Kangashkan and Greninja's natures aren't optimal so I'm working on getting some better ones.
idk why so many peeple around here are running hlmet Chomp. It's not unviable per se, but Sash, Scarf, and CB are all bettr imo. Other than that i agree Outrage over D-Claw, and i think Rock Tomb and a sash wood be great, 4 SpD insted of HP i think to bettr chances of living a few ice attacks, can calc later to see if that really matters.

Gren you're very right the nature is bad, but to be clear you should run Naive. -Def kills you against a lot of priority, can't take much that's strongr anywayz. Fer moves you want Dark Pulse/ Ice Beam/ Gunk Shot/ Grass Knot, at least i think so. 20 Atk to kill Azu, max Spe, 236 in SpA.

Kamg is kinda odd. Special attacks the best one is Ice Beam. If you want Fire it shood b Blast, and you'll want SpA evs too. idk a spread but enough to kill what yer trying for. Spe is pretty flexible. DE>Return especially if no running bulk(and you'll be a -Def or SpD nature so imo not a conversation.)

No one runs that on Aegi, tho early in x and y that was a mainsstay(well, not with Lefties i don't think.) Just doesn't hit hard enuff really. I'd run the standerd Quiet max HP and SpA.

Last mon i think SpDef Thund cood werk. Beats most other Thund, Rotom-W, and even lives an Ice Beam from Gren, winning with some parahax. Still kinda useless vs Rotom-h, but you have that covered fairly well. Watch out fer Trick with Suicune. Always pick Scald right away on Rotom-h if it might be Trickm so you'll at least be locked into somthing useful.
 
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I wanted to get into the doubles scene so I chose to start with gengar. I wanted to try a perish trap team and from the small amount of research the only consistant pokemon I saw was Scrafty. I elive he plays as a lead support into tant/encore pokemon?

I thoughy Id add Gothitelle because she also has shadow tag and good bulk.

I was told thsy perish gengar runs disable so pairig with a prankster whimsicott is a great lead vs fake out teams.

So i have gengar whimsicott, scrafty amd gothitelle and I dont knownwho to add as the last two.

And if the pokemon I chose arent the right ones in anyway please tell me! Im open to all changes except mega gengar.

_______________________
cant say edit: do not create new threads for this sort of stuff
 
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Hey guys, first time poster but I've started dabbling in the Battle Spot recently. I've tried out my favourite Pokemon, Dragonite, for a little while but I think there's something lacking - I'm being stunned by Aromatisse and other fairy walls. My current setup is Cloyster (as below), Spcl Mega Lucario and DDNite.

I've decided to change tactics. Quite like Cloyster right now so sticking with him, but need a little help with the other two teammates.

Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Ice Shard

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power

Now I don't know what mega to go with... I'm thinking mega lucario physical, with bullet punch to deal with faries. What are your thoughts?

Scrap that, I'm going with Metagross - for sure!

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Zen Headbutt
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
 
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cant say

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Hey guys, first time poster but I've started dabbling in the Battle Spot recently. I've tried out my favourite Pokemon, Dragonite, for a little while but I think there's something lacking - I'm being stunned by Aromatisse and other fairy walls. My current setup is Cloyster (as below), Spcl Mega Lucario and DDNite.

I've decided to change tactics. Quite like Cloyster right now so sticking with him, but need a little help with the other two teammates.

Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Ice Shard

Hydreigon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power

Now I don't know what mega to go with... I'm thinking mega lucario physical, with bullet punch to deal with faries. What are your thoughts?

Scrap that, I'm going with Metagross - for sure!

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Zen Headbutt
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Hippowdon + Dragonite + Lucario is a really popular core, so perhaps you could consider trying that. The basic idea is that you lead with Hippowdon and set up Stealth Rock and Yawn until it faints, then bring in whichever set up user you think will work best. It's often not as simple as that but you should get the idea. In theory, Metagross could replace Lucario just fine in that core, but Lucario usually goes for the special set in that core for more balanced offense, as using two physical sweepers can leave you walled by some things. Just be careful with Metagross as Bullet Punch doesn't OHKO any of the Fairy-types running around, (Substitute +) Hone Claws is an option though but I like coverage.

For a sixth Pokemon, I'm not too sure what would be the best. You kinda want something to beat Ferrothorn with, Greninja looks pretty annoying too since it can single-handedly beat the Hippo+Nite+Steel-type core, and neither Cloyster or Hydreigon remedy that too much. Hidden Power Fire Porygon2 could be kinda cool if you can breed that. Volcarona could also work. Or Talonflame. Or even Mega Charizard-Y as a backup for Metagross/Lucario.
 
Bullet Punch is shit. Like, yes, MegaGross is by far the second best user, but between solid speed, ~156 base power, and the ever obnoxious "30% chance to win a match you have no business winning" flinchrate, Iron head is just too good to pass up imo. Scizor runs Bullet Punch because its slow as shit and it has just enough shove to justify it.
I adore MegaGross though.

Greninja, yes, will slap you sideways, but Hydreigon isn't that bad of a matchup. Can switch into Dark Pulse or Scald, and with Scarf you outspeed and nuke it. Sash can be broken by hazards/etc, and if it's LO it just outright dies. I do it all the time in Doubles.
But you already have Dnite so I wouldn't bother with Hydra just to prevent overlaps.

Scrafty / Conkeldurr are bulky and handles Ferrothorn and Greninja. Scrafty eats Dark/Ghost for MegaGross and Conk pressures anything with WoW.
Char-Y + Dnite never sounded good to me, too many similar counters (Terrakion, Thundurus, ScarfChomp). Heatran, Rotom-H, Arcanine, and Entei make good non-mega Fire mons. Oh, and Talonflame.
 
Hey guys, thanks for the detailed replies. I should have said, I've tried using DDNite/Mega Lucario (special) but my main issue is I keep getting walled by Faries. As an example, Gardevoir totally ran through my entire team.

Therefore I kinda wanna just replace Dragonite and Lucario completely with two new Attacking/Special Attacking sweepers, rather than play around with Dragonite/Hippowdon/Lucario. My special sweeper is definitely Hydreigon - but the physical attacker is up for debate. From what you guys have said, it seems Metagross isn't the greatest choice.

I like Lucario, but between it and Hydreigon for a special sweeper, I pick Hydreigon for a little variety.

Therefore, I think I'm going to switch to:

Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Ice Shard

Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Dragon Pulse

Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head

I changed Hydreigon to scarf instead, mainly because it seems a little slower than the dragons I'm used to. I chose Mawile because it counters a lot of Hydreigon's Fairy checks, and completes the dragon-fairy-steel combo I was going for. Does it look like there are any obvious counters to what I've added above?
 
I wanted to get into the doubles scene so I chose to start with gengar. I wanted to try a perish trap team and from the small amount of research the only consistant pokemon I saw was Scrafty. I elive he plays as a lead support into tant/encore pokemon?

I thoughy Id add Gothitelle because she also has shadow tag and good bulk.

I was told thsy perish gengar runs disable so pairig with a prankster whimsicott is a great lead vs fake out teams.

So i have gengar whimsicott, scrafty amd gothitelle and I dont knownwho to add as the last two.

And if the pokemon I chose arent the right ones in anyway please tell me! Im open to all changes except mega gengar.

_______________________
cant say edit: do not create new threads for this sort of stuff
Only decent in dubz at best, but i kno you want an answer to flying spam, mainly Talon and Mence. They pulverize Scrafty and Whimsi, and hit the others hard. most stuff that can take attention off Gengar so it can wait out Perish is good. Follow Me support, Clefairy for Friend Guard, that sorta stuff. What you have so far is good, at least the mons cuz u dint giv sets.

Hey guys, thanks for the detailed replies. I should have said, I've tried using DDNite/Mega Lucario (special) but my main issue is I keep getting walled by Faries. As an example, Gardevoir totally ran through my entire team.

Therefore I kinda wanna just replace Dragonite and Lucario completely with two new Attacking/Special Attacking sweepers, rather than play around with Dragonite/Hippowdon/Lucario. My special sweeper is definitely Hydreigon - but the physical attacker is up for debate. From what you guys have said, it seems Metagross isn't the greatest choice.

I like Lucario, but between it and Hydreigon for a special sweeper, I pick Hydreigon for a little variety.

Therefore, I think I'm going to switch to:

Cloyster @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rock Blast
- Ice Shard

Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Earth Power
- Dragon Pulse

Mawile @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head

I changed Hydreigon to scarf instead, mainly because it seems a little slower than the dragons I'm used to. I chose Mawile because it counters a lot of Hydreigon's Fairy checks, and completes the dragon-fairy-steel combo I was going for. Does it look like there are any obvious counters to what I've added above?
Dragon Pulse is really icky on Hydra and in general, i'd use Fire Blast. 4 Spe is an interesting touch on Mawi. Spe creep base 50s like mirrors, and tie standerd Azu. I've only evr used 4 Def to lower chance of not Adamant or boosted Mamo and Chomp ohkong with EQ from 50 to 37.5%. If you end up weak t those maybe change that, but that's really minor.

Lesse, threats. I always think about Suicune, doesn't look like the best match up. SD Mawi can do good, but a Scld burn negates one SD, same with Shell Smash and Cloyster won't take even resisted special STABs well at all, esp at -1. Hydra is okish, but prolly set up fodder fer helthy Cunes.

Anyways, at a quick glance looks good so far. With two set up mons and Mawi especially something to help set would be nice. Easiest thing is a t-waver, Cress is always nice. You have two fighting weaks too, so there's that. Actually see a Blaziken problem now that i think about it.
 
Need help finishing off a new team:

Medicham @Medichamite
Ability: Pure power
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe / 4 Def
-High Jump kick
-Fake out
-Ice punch
-Bullet Punch

Whimiscott @ Eject button
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Timid
Evs: 252 Hp / 252 Spe / 4 Def
-Tailwind
-Memento
-Protect
-Encore

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Duh
Nature: Timid
Evs: 252 Hp / 168 SpD / 88 SpD
-Toxic
-Protect
-Substitute
-Magma Storm

Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Adamant
EVS: 252 Atk / 252 Spe /4 Spe
-Outrage
-Dragon dance
-Extreme speed
-Earthquake

Currently, I'm using a defensively bulky Rotom-W and a Specially defensive Ferrothorn as my 5th and 6th, but I don't like doubling up on my Ice and Fighting type weaknesses. I've also barely used the Ferrothorn, since there are very few opportunities to use him with Medicham (i need the tailwind) and with Heatran (fighting type weakness). The win condition is tailwind boosted Mega-Medicham, or a switch in with Heatran, SubToxic stall trap with Magma storm. Whimiscott Eject button lets me get extra Fake out Chip Damage in and safe switch-ins with Memento and Encore.

I can't tell if I'm getting less damage using Medicham as compared to Kangaskhan, Lucario, Blaziken, and Mawile, but I do get to avoid double Rocky Helmet procs, and I don't compound my weakness to common fire, ground, and fighting coverage moves. Medicham is actually strangely bulky enough to only get 2hko'd by invested fighting type moves and bulky enough to get 2hko'd by uninvested coverage moves, which is a huge plus in my book.

A Rotom-W/Heatran/Medicham also forms a potent stall breaking core, although I do run into problems with recovery moves, particularly from Suicune, Sylveon, Zapdos, and Slowbro.

I also was thinking about Sticky-web set up, but since it doesn't affect flying/levitating pokemon, and because there are only two consistent users of the move, I opted for Tailwind instead...

Any suggestions as to rounding out my new team?
 
Need help finishing off a new team:

Medicham @Medichamite
Ability: Pure power
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe / 4 Def
-High Jump kick
-Fake out
-Ice punch
-Bullet Punch

Whimiscott @ Eject button
Ability: Prankster
Nature: Timid
Evs: 252 Hp / 252 Spe / 4 Def
-Tailwind
-Memento
-Protect
-Encore

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Duh
Nature: Timid
Evs: 252 Hp / 168 SpD / 88 SpD
-Toxic
-Protect
-Substitute
-Magma Storm

Dragonite @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Adamant
EVS: 252 Atk / 252 Spe /4 Spe
-Outrage
-Dragon dance
-Extreme speed
-Earthquake

Currently, I'm using a defensively bulky Rotom-W and a Specially defensive Ferrothorn as my 5th and 6th, but I don't like doubling up on my Ice and Fighting type weaknesses. I've also barely used the Ferrothorn, since there are very few opportunities to use him with Medicham (i need the tailwind) and with Heatran (fighting type weakness). The win condition is tailwind boosted Mega-Medicham, or a switch in with Heatran, SubToxic stall trap with Magma storm. Whimiscott Eject button lets me get extra Fake out Chip Damage in and safe switch-ins with Memento and Encore.

I can't tell if I'm getting less damage using Medicham as compared to Kangaskhan, Lucario, Blaziken, and Mawile, but I do get to avoid double Rocky Helmet procs, and I don't compound my weakness to common fire, ground, and fighting coverage moves. Medicham is actually strangely bulky enough to only get 2hko'd by invested fighting type moves and bulky enough to get 2hko'd by uninvested coverage moves, which is a huge plus in my book.

A Rotom-W/Heatran/Medicham also forms a potent stall breaking core, although I do run into problems with recovery moves, particularly from Suicune, Sylveon, Zapdos, and Slowbro.

I also was thinking about Sticky-web set up, but since it doesn't affect flying/levitating pokemon, and because there are only two consistent users of the move, I opted for Tailwind instead...

Any suggestions as to rounding out my new team?
I'm thinking to run a less used moveset on Whimsicott with a new team, so I approve of that set. Standard EVs are 204 HP/ 52 SpD instead of max HP for bulk, but honestly I don't think it makes a huge difference. Why Protect on Whimsi tho? This seems like Singles, and you're not Lefties(wood still be bad to run Protect.) Mayb you're thinking to help stall Toxic damage, but that's overly situational. Tran often won't get to poison the foe before Whimsi switches in, or it'll die first. Or Whimsi will die before you bring Tran, bad match up to bring both, etc. Moonblast would be way better.

Speaking of Tran, you really ought to use Spe as an abbreviation for Speed to distinguish it from SpD. Also, it makes more sense to run Calm and a lot of Spe EVs than Timid and the other way, to capitalize on the higher base stat.

DNite you can't mean the 4 evs are in Spe lol, it's already 252 Spe.

Teammates I like your idea of Rotom-W, but maybe Specs or Scarf. Both deal a lot better with Suicune, with TrickScarf ruining it for the most part, and Specs doing a lot to try and break past CM, plus works nice with Tailwind. Also deals better with Cress, which is bad for your mega and DNite. With Suicune, you wanna be aggressive with Whimsi, switching on Rest or CM and messing it up/ fprcing it out. Priority Encore is quite predictable, so you can maybe set Tailwind instead of using it on a switch and doing nothing.

I don't like Ferro on this team either. I'm not sure about the last mon, but one thing that's super splashable because it's so good is Casino Gengar, which you might be familiar with. The main thing is Hypnosis, and it also runs Hex, Sludge Bomb/ Focus Blast, and Destiny Bond. EVs are 188 HP/ 116 Def/ 4 SpA/ 4 SpD/ 196 +Spe, enough for Chomp pre mega and Greninja after.
 
So after playing for a while in OU singles & doubles I decided to give BSSingles a try,and it has been incredible fun actually, teambuilding seems different since mons tend to have sometimes 2 roles at the same time and try to stand against the meta with just 3 mons instead of 6, of course the mons that are viable are somewhat less but who cares when I can use Blaziken?

So I was testing with a team around Blaziken, Raikou and Megamence.

Blaziken (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Knock Off
- High Jump Kick
- Protect

Salamence @ Salamencite
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 36 SpA / 220 Spe
Naive Nature
- Double-Edge
- Draco Meteor
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance

Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 28 HP / 252 SpA / 228 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt
- Light Screen

Piloswine @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 50
EVs: 132 Atk / 252 Def / 124 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Stealth Rock
- Icicle Spear

I am messing with Piloswine since it actually gives me the opportunity to serve as a check to common physical threats that mess with my team(ScarfChomp for example) but I would like an opinion of what the usual teammates or builds fit with Blaziken,Megamence and/or Raikou.

Raikou helps with special threats, mainly Zapdos and Thundurus alongside giving me access to attacking from the special side.

I have the general idea but dont really know deeply the meta, so any help would be appreciated.
 
Hi Battlespot,

I've been using this team to start with on the poke-showdown ladder(Battlespot Singles), after 100 games I have some questions(I copied the sets from the strategy dex and then tweaked some things I think detrimentally...)

The reason I don't believe it's ready for an RMT is threefold.

1. First team I have put together, and I really want to use the "Fantasy Core" (Hippo/M-Lucario/Dragonite) but am not actually sure how to build it properly after those three.
2. I need to make some changes and am struggling against things such as Greninja, minimize baton pass teams, M-Venasaur(Thick Fat, seems to wall me pretty well) and Suicune.
3. EV Spreads, these are all basic but I think that might be optimal for these Pokemon, however my team seems probably a bit "sweeper" heavy and needs a bit more support as I often go down quickly if the first few turns don't go my way.(first 100 battles of pokemon I've ever had too I guess).

I'll put the output from showdown and highlight things I think need changing a bit with a short summary.




Dragonite (M) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Multiscale
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake

This set is good but maybe I should go with Choice Band or Lum Berry here, Is it worth trying the EV's to survive things like Greninja Ice beam, I find I do get OHKOd even with multiscale semi-often. Weakness policy and dragon dance is pretty amazing when it happens but maybe its over-kill anyway?, I probably don't know speed tiers well enough as to when I'm faster or not yet either I think.

Cloyster @ King's Rock
Ability: Skill Link
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Spear
- Shell Smash
- Rock Blast


In 100 games I think I have used Cloyster about 4 times, 3 of which he just died in one hit after I shell smash(not good at using, he possibly doesn't work like dragonite..), I do feel like people never bring Garchomp or other dragons against me much and it could be because of this guy however, I don't know if that's enough to justify a team slot.

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
Level: 50
EVs: 188 HP / 62 Def / 4 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Hypnosis
- Clear Smog
- Focus Blast

So I saw that casino Gengar set on here and thought it looked really fun, then I struggled a lot against some minimize baton pass calm mind teams and figured I'd get more mileage out of clear smog than Destiny Bond (which I never used).

This Pokemon has won me a lot of games from the lead 3-0 but as the set is a bit "casino" if you don't land those Hypnosis or Focus Blast it can also be pretty useless.(I'd say its won me a lot more than lost me however).
Would this work as a Focus Sash user instead of mega-stone? sometimes I want to bring Lucario and Gengar but it feels weird to have a useless item on one of them. I will probably change Clear Smog back to destiny bond (after seeing some videos of other people using it well) But also need an answer to those teams (FYI Clear Smog on Gengar hasn't cleared a single status boost yet he just dies or they don't try the same stuff anyway somehow..)

Hippowdon @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Serious Nature
IVs: 25 Spe
- Yawn
- Slack Off
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake

I was getting OHKO'd by a lot of special attacks (Greninja and maybe some others), so I thought I'd use the SpD variant, however now I find he lives too long and by the time they kill him they have either set up a bit, sandstorm finished and possibly only chipped one pokemon, which might have some recovery move anyway. I might change Earthquake back to something that hits levitate/flying pokemon as I find I don't have any attacks to use fairly often if I have already put up rocks and yawned but they still don't switch, stalling longer seems to be a bad move often.

Lucario-Mega @ Lucarionite
Ability: Adaptability
Level: 50
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Aura Sphere
- Flash Cannon
- Vacuum Wave

I changed Nasty Plot to I think Aura Sphere, also an attempt to counter minimize strategies and I found I'd usually die if I tried to set up for a turn with Nasty Plot (because it doesn't increase my speed, so if something is faster than me it will get to 2HKO me before I can attack). I feel I should go back to Nasty Plot and just learn to counter better, but maybe not use Focus Blast it can miss a bit too often.

Volcarona @ Lum Berry
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Quiver Dance
- Psychic

I am thinking I will change Fire Blast to Fiery Dance, otherwise this set is good, however if I give Dragonite the Lum Berry I will have to find something else to use.

so TLDR;

  • I never use Cloyster, I would like to switch him, I do have a Timid Thundurus with max SpA, Spe and HP iv's I can use, open to other suggestions. I haven't caught a lot of the legendaries because I didn't know what stats to go for yet.
  • Need a few tips on move-sets.
  • Is casino Gengar viable in non-mega form?(Focus Sash)
  • Evasion Boosting / Baton Pass teams are a bit problematic as are M-Venasaur and Greninja.
  • Is it worth making dragonite more bulky, keeping weakness policy so I can do one dragon dance and survive an ice beam (if possible), activate weakness policy and dragon dance for super-saiyan?
  • Happy to switch any poke really that isn't Dragonite/Lucario/Hippowdon

I'm ok to lose to some strategies, I think I'd rather have a strong matchup against the majority than worrying about losing to small niches often, and as people have said showdown meta and actual BattleSpot are different I don't know if I'll see as much minimize/baton pass shenanigans.

Thanks in advance for any and all assistance, just want to iron some things out before I finish it on cart. If this should be in the RMT please let me know but I don't feel the team is finished per-se, just things I've tried.
 

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