Team Analysis Project

[Swamp Link]

OP and idea stolen from Doughboy in OU.

Team Analysis Project​

Introduction:

Ever wonder what types of teams tournament level players use and what ideas go into building those teams? Well this is the project for you! In the Team Analysis Project, every week I will be presenting you a tournament level team. During our discussion, you guys will try to find out how the team was built and what ideas went into the team. At the end of the discussion, I will give a list of ideas that went into the team and I then will post a new team. Usually, these ideas will tie into the six components of the team listed below. It is heavily encouraged that you try out the team on the ladder, sometimes you will find ideas that you would have been unable to find with just theorymon!

Six Components of a Team:

Essentially, every good team follows these six components:

• Win Condition: The ultimate path for victory for a team, this is the component on the team that will win you the game. This can range from a set-up sweeper to accumulating residual damage (note these are not the only two ways).
• Strategy: The way a team attempts to goes about to accomplish its win condition. For example, a HO team may use a sweeper as its win condition, but is a hazard-stacking or dual-screens strategy the most optimal way / strategy to accompany the sweeper?
• Couterplay: The elements of a team that attempt to prevent opposing strategies from being executed. In addition, couterplay is the elements of the team that account for the team's strategy failing and attempting to find a way to win. How does this team attempt to counteract / play against common strategies?
• Synergy: How the Pokemon on the team interact with each other that aids in taking down or taking on eachother's checks and counters in addition to bolstering your win condition.
• Intricacies: The best way I can explain is that is it the little cogs in the wheel that net small advantages for the team, and ultimately get it to work.
• Weaknesses: The short comings of the team and the elements of the team that exacerbate the problem of "team matchup." What sacrifices during teambuilding did this team make so it could get the majority of wins?

These are the components that you should try to find during the analysis of the team and that will be the main points for our discussions. How does each Pokemon contribute to one, some, or all of these components? Only by playing with the team will you truly find out!

Guidelines:

• It is encouraged that you play with the team on the ladder in order get a deeper understanding of the ideas behind it and to get a better understanding on how it plays.
• This is not an RMT. We are not trying to find ways to make the team better. What we are trying to do is learn how a higher-level team was made and the ideas behind it.
• Keep discussion relevant to UU threats.
• If you are a tournament level player and would like your team featured in this project, drop me a PM. Please donate teams like this, I'm not good enough to build many of them.

Rules

• Keep discussion civil.
• Don't ask for your team to be featured in the thread, please do it through PM.

This Week's Team:

So to start it off, I'm throwing one of my UUPL teams in, hopefully there will be others in future weeks

Importable

Azelf @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Explosion
- Knock Off

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Cacturne @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Spd / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Seed Bomb
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick

Darmanitan @ Salac Berry
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake

Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- U-turn

Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 224 HP / 252 SAtk / 32 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

Azelf @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Explosion
- Knock Off

Manectric @ Manectite
Ability: Lightningrod
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SAtk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Cacturne @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Spd / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Seed Bomb
- Sucker Punch
- Low Kick

Darmanitan @ Salac Berry
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Fire Punch
- Earthquake

Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Fire Blast
- U-turn

Nidoqueen @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 224 HP / 252 SAtk / 32 Spd
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Sludge Wave
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

 

[KM]

OP and idea stolen from Doughboy in OU.

​

Six Components of a Team:

Essentially, every good team follows these five components:

• Win Condition: The ultimate path for victory for a team, this is the component on the team that will win you the game. This can range from a set-up sweeper to accumulating residual damage (note these are not the only two ways).
• Strategy: The way a team attempts to goes about to accomplish its win condition. For example, a HO team may use a sweeper as its win condition, but is a hazard-stacking or dual-screens strategy the most optimal way / strategy to accompany the sweeper?
• Couterplay: The elements of a team that attempt to prevent opposing strategies from being executed. In addition, couterplay is the elements of the team that account for the team's strategy failing and attempting to find a way to win. How does this team attempt to counteract / play against common strategies?
• Synergy: How the Pokemon on the team interact with each other that aids in taking down or taking on eachother's checks and counters in addition to bolstering your win condition.
• Intricacies: The best way I can explain is that is it the little cogs in the wheel that net small advantages for the team, and ultimately get it to work.
• Weaknesses: The short comings of the team and the elements of the team that exacerbate the problem of "team matchup." What sacrifices during teambuilding did this team make so it could get the majority of wins?

Nitpick Kitten strikes again.


Anyway, I really love the concept for this, as teambuilding is one of the things I struggle with a bit and breaking it down can be really helpful. I'm reserving this post in order to try and figure out how and why this team was made, but it's late at the minute, so I just wanted to use this to clarify a couple of questions.

1. I know you said it wasn't an RMT, but if we see something that - to our knowledge - is an odd set or odd EV spread (for instance, Mega-Man being 252+ rather than 228 and modest), should we point it out, or just wait for the explanation at the end of the week?
2. Should we be analyzing the team on a ladder basis or on a tournament basis?

p.s. What king uu said about never being able to use this darm team again might be true xD

 

[Swamp Link]

Well, the Manectric spread was because Mega Manectric that only runs enough Speed for Base 115s isn't standard enough. I didn't want to risk it getting outsped by itself when there's not a lot of benefit to going with the alternative spread. It's objectively better, but there are drawbacks. But yeah, questions are fine.

It's primarily on a tournament basis, but those teams should work on the ladder as well anyway.

 

[pokemonisfun]

can we also just discuss the 6 components because i think that's a lot more fun mainly because i strongly disagree with some of the points which are laid out like fact (and therefore the entire basis of this project just about?)

 

[Swamp Link]

can we also just discuss the 6 components because i think that's a lot more fun mainly because i strongly disagree with some of the points which are laid out like fact (and therefore the entire basis of this project just about?)

Yeah, tbh I don't care since this thread was pretty DOA. Anything that might help people with teambuilding, since koko hates ccat

 

[Patrick1088]

The goal of this team is pretty obvious. Azelf is the suicide lead and disruptor with knock off and sash. Mega mane is the bulky water destroyer hence hp grass and offensive pivot with intimidate. Nidoquern is the wallbreaker to destroy the florges mega aggron core and hits all sp def walls like umbreon and lax with focus blast.

Scarf hydra is the rk and other pivot alongside megamane. Possible late game clean up.

Cacturne has a very specific role in mind. It counters crocuneand cm slowbro. Ive seen suicune run extrasensory specifically for toxicroak. But, it shuts down cm bro lacking ice beam or fire blast.

The win condition of the team is subsalacdrum darm since the goal of this team is to eliminate evrry bulky mon. Once darm sets up theres isnt much that the opponent can do. Slowbro and suicune are wrecked by cacturne and mega aggron is destroyed by queen.

The real threat to this team is mega aero. Cacturne cant switch in on aerial ace. Queen and megamane fear earthquake. Darms only hope is to setup that subdrum immediately if aero comes in. It can ohko aero at +6 with fire punch.

Stealth rock and priority screw up this team as well. Honchkrow is a threat as well. It can pick off darm if its not behind a sub and sweep. Megamane alleviates that threat somewhat though.

Overall, its a very high risk high reward type of team imo...