Hello everyone! This is christopher_ 1942 with another team ready for a different format. This time, it's VGC 2020. After my experience with the Galar Newcomers competition, it's been decided to come up with a team that can take the VGC 2020 format by storm! So many new strategies to implement with new Pokemon, it's what makes battles so exciting now that Dynamaxing was introduced.
After some careful thinking, here's the team full of wonder that can bring the heat in competitions:
Hatterene
Nature: Quiet
IVs: 31/0/31/31/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/252 Sp.Atk/4 Sp.Def
Ability: Magic Bounce
Held Item: Babiri Berry
Psychic
Dazzling Gleam
Mystical Fire
Trick Room
We begin by featuring the star of the show, Hatterene! This Pokemon is amazing in Double battles with her Trick Room support. I've seen her dominate in the Galar Newcomers competition when it Gigantamaxes to a powerful sweeper! Hats off to a new favorite to many! The best and easiest strategy for this Pokemon is if she's partnered by Indeedee.
Hatterene plans to set up Trick Room while Indeedee follows up with a Follow Me, making sure she sets the stage with no problems at all. She has a very high chance of doing so with the Magic Bounce ability to stop status-afflicting moves and Taunts and Psychic Surge that prevents all first-priority moves. Fake Out? What's that? Then the second turn is when the fun begins, the Pokemon Gigantamaxes to an almighty powerhouse and goes in for a G-Max Smite or a Max Mindstorm while she obtains support from Indeedee's Helping Hand. Let me tell you, a Max Mindstorm combined with Psychic Surge and Helping Hand means bye-bye to many opponents, even with the Light Screen up!
While she's the most-popular choice to go for because of Trick Room, Steel-types especially Stalwart Duraludon are a problem. That's why she's holding Babiri Berry so that she has a chance of surviving a big Max Steelspike attack. However, GMAX Duraludons are the bane of her existence as the G-Max Depletion not only doing a lot of damage but also saps away all the Trick Room PP, making her unable to set it up. Opposing Trick Roomers are also a challenge to face as it requires mind games to predict if they are going to set up their own Trick Room or not. Despite all of this, Hatterene is amazing. It's all about setting up the strategy and going for broke.
Indeedee (F)
Nature: Relaxed
IVs: 31/0/31/31/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/212 Def/44 Sp.Def
Ability: Psychic Surge
Held Item: Colbur Berry
Psychic
Follow Me
Helping Hand
Protect
Hatterene's great-and-powerful partner! Indeedee is just what she needs to safely set up Trick Room. Psychic Surge brings in the Psychic terrain to boost the power of telekinetic powers and stop all chance of first-strike attacks which I've mentioned earlier. By partnering her up with other team members, it increases the likelihood of them OHKOing opponents with their powerful moves. This Pokemon is indeed a brilliant partner for Double Battles.
Indeedee also hits hard with Psychic blast thanks to the Psychic Surge when she wants to make sure her opponents are down for the count. However, her best moves are Follow Me and Helping Hand. Follow Me is very helpful against Ghost-type Pokemon such as Mimikyu and Gengar as they do nothing against her when Hatterene is on the field and Helping Hand helps her, Torkoal and Rhyperior immensely. Colbur Berry was selected as the held-item because I wanted to make sure she survives a Foul Play or a Darkest Lariat from those such as Grimmsnarl, it does help when she has a Relaxed nature.
As mentioned before, the main threat to watch out for is Stalwart Duraludons. They completely bypass her entirely, making her team members vulnerable to them and that can cripple this team's strategy. when it comes to her, strong Bug-type users such as Escavalier and even Frosmoth can take her down in a cinch. When it comes to roles, Indeedee wants to make sure Trick Room is set up safely. Once she faints, Torkoal, Rhyperior or Snorlax, would take her place as an act of revenge. You know what they say: If you mess with the bull, you get the horns.
Torkoal
Nature: Quiet
IVs: 31/0/31/31/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/252 Sp.Atk/4 Sp.Def
Ability: Drought
Held Item: Charcoal
Eruption
Flamethrower
Solar Beam
Protect
Back in the Battle Tree in Pokemon Sun/Moon, this Pokemon was an absolute powerhouse with the Drought ability and it still is, probably even better! If I was a mathematician during all the calculations. Trick Room + Drought + Charcoal + Helping Hand + Eruption = TOTAL MELTDOWN!! Facing this Pokemon is like facing a real volcano!
Eruptions is its best move at full-health. No doubt about it. It's like it was inspired by Mega Camerupt and Typhlosions back in the day and decided it wants to play their role as well. Flamethrower is another great option if Torkoal is not as full HP or when Wide Guards are used. Fire Blast would be a nice move for extra power but Flamethrower is better because it has more accuracy. Solar Beam is for Water, Rock and Ground-type coverage, making Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Rhyperior go bye-bye and Protect to stay out of harms way, especially from Rhyperior's Earthquakes.
As it relies on Trick Rooms and Sunny Days, without them, Torkoal is very vulnerable. Rain teams are a huge issue for it as they weaken its power to a minimum. The only way for it to succeed is to keep it in the backrow just so that once the rain is up, it brings out the sun. Even so, careful moves must be made or else it'll fall flat to heavy hitting Water, Rock and Ground-type moves. It's another one of those Pokemon that can rely on mind games to win.
Snorlax
Nature: Brave
IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Def
Ability: Gluttony
Held Item: Figy Berry
Body Slam
Darkest Lariat
Belly Drum
Protect
Meet the old-favorite to many, Snorlax! We all know back when Trick Room was introduced in Diamond and Pearl, Snorlax was chosen to be one of the best Trick Room sweepers around. With great bulk and raw power, it's no wonder Snorlax is loved by many and it got better thanks to the new Gigantamax form.
It may not have Return anymore, but it still has the hard-hitting Body Slam! After a successful Belly Drum set-up, Snorlax does tremendous damage to its opponent like a big piano dropping on a cartoon character. Since Gigantamax Snorlax does not learn Double-Edge, Body Slam is the best choice. Darkest Lariat is to finally give it type coverage against Ghost-types like Eviolite G-Corsola, Cursola, Gengars and Dragapults. Now Belly Drum is a move everyone must watch out for. With the cost of half its HP, Snorlax power goes into overdrive, and its HP goes back up after consuming the Figy Berry! With Trick Room up and running, Snorlax makes sure its opponents are down and out. Lastly, Protect/Max Guard is to block other attacks and Rhyperior's Earthquakes.
As Belly Drum requires a turn to set up, it can be a punching bag for Fighting-type users such as Machamp, Sirfetch'd and Grapploct, those that learn the infamous Taunt and those that cause burns. Burns can cripple Snorlax's sweeping strategy, making it tired and fall down due to fatigue. Eviolite G-Corsola and Dusclops are considered the worst matchups if Belly Drum and Trick Room are not set up. Theyu can survive the Darkest Lariat/Max Darkness attacks and wear it down with their other moves.
Rhyperior
Nature: Brave
IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Sp.Def
Ability: Solid Rock
Held Item: Weakness Policy
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Fire Punch
Protect
Another Pokemon I remember back in Pokemon Sun/Moon was Mudsdale. Another successful Trick Room sweeper. Why am I telling you this? It's because Rhyperior plays more of a similar role with its huge power and type coverage. It may have more weaknesses, but that's where Weakness Policy comes in, increasing its Attack even further. Thanks to Solid Rock, it can survive some more super-effective hits and counterattack with its own!
Earthquake and Rock Slide are both STAB moves capable of hitting both Pokemon on the opponent's side of the field. However, Earthquake requires a team member to protect itself for it to work. In Trick Room, Rock Slide has a chance to flinch others, stopping whatever they've got planned. Fire Punch is to get through the likes of Ferrothorn, Eldegoss and Whimsicott and Protect as I said before to bring its guard up.
Solid Rock may make it survive more fatal attacks and let Weakness Policy kick in but not all of them. An almighty water-type move from Pelipper, Inteleon and Rotom-W, a grass-type move from Rotom-M, Rillaboom, Flapple and Max Overgrowth Coalossal and even Duraludons can bring Rhyperior down to its knees in an instant. It has less-chance surviving Special Attacks than physical Attacks but moves that are super-effective against it are the ones to keep a close eye on. Rhyperior could either go for broke or not. Burns can also be a big problem for Rhyperior since it is a physical sweeper. After a Will-O-Wisp from G-Corsola and Dusclops, Rhyperior becomes a sitting duck. All of these threats must be addressed for this Pokemon when it comes to going in for a clean sweep.
Vileplume
Nature: Timid
IVs: 31/0/31/31/31/31
EVs: 252 Sp.Atk/4 Sp.Def/252 Speed
Ability: Chlorophyll
Held Item: Iapapa Berry
Energy Ball
Sludge Bomb
After You
Sleep Powder
What's this? A Pokemon that's not slow in the Trick Room team? Why's that? Well, let me explain. I've noticed that Trainers can have Trick Room Pokemon and fast sweepers in a single team and it still works wonders. The metagame is all about predicting what Pokemon your opponent is going to choose to counter yours. As 5 team members rely on Trick Room, I thought I could stir things up with a fast Pokemon that is supported by Sunny Day. Leafeon was considered a good choice with its faster Speed, but it does fall flat on type coverage and moves. So the best Chlorophyll user to go with this team is none other than Vileplume. It has a priority against Water, Ground, Rock and Fairy-types and supports its partners with more Speed priority with After You.
I realized that Energy Ball was buffed to 90 BP which is a good thing for Vileplume. So that move was chosen over Solar Beam and Giga Drain. Yes, Solar Beam has more BP but without the Sun, this Pokemon has to wait a turn for it to charge, making it vulnerable. Sludge Bomb is get through the likes of Sylveon, Rapidash, Rillaboom, Clefables, Gardevoir and especially Togekiss. Sleep Powder can also put them asleep so Vileplume has a chance to triumph over them. Finally, After You is a move that Trainers usually forget how well it plays in Double Battles. It's best for this Pokemon to side with Torkoal as the Sun increases its Speed. With After You, it helps Torkoal gain more Speed coverage against others as it goes for an Eruption. This was inspired by another user who plays a similar role: After You Lilligant.
It still has its drawbacks though. Opposing Trick Room Psychic-types have no problem against it. This includes the Hatterene and Indeedee combo I've mentioned earlier. Fire and Flying-types such as Charizard, Centiskorch, Coalossal, Braviary, Arcanine and even Togekiss can wipe it away like a stain on a kitchen floor.
In conclusion, I think this Sun + Trick Room team has great potential in this year's VGC format. It has Pokemon willing to dominate at many angles when Trick Room is up and has great support with Indeedee's Follow Me and Helping Hand and Vileplumes After You. However from my point of view when it comes to threats, this team does not have any resistances against heavy-hitting Rain Dance sweepers aside from Vileplume. Gastrodon could be a good replacement over Rhyperior to cover that weakness. But the Pokemon that would be big trouble against this team as a whole I think is Stalwart Duraludon, especially when it Dynamaxes/Gigantamaxses. It is unfazed by whatever Indeedee has and can completely stop Hatterene in its tracks, leaving this team with no Trick Room at all. If I can find some way to get over that big threat, this team can go all the way to the Master Ball Tier in Ranked Battles.
And that's the team! What do you think? Are there any improvements you think I need to make for this to perform even better? Please let me know as your feedback is greatly appreciated. Have a nice day and stay fresh! ;)
Here's the Pokepaste version of this team: https://pokepast.es/0d913f4ac758eb12
After some careful thinking, here's the team full of wonder that can bring the heat in competitions:
Hatterene
Nature: Quiet
IVs: 31/0/31/31/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/252 Sp.Atk/4 Sp.Def
Ability: Magic Bounce
Held Item: Babiri Berry
Psychic
Dazzling Gleam
Mystical Fire
Trick Room
We begin by featuring the star of the show, Hatterene! This Pokemon is amazing in Double battles with her Trick Room support. I've seen her dominate in the Galar Newcomers competition when it Gigantamaxes to a powerful sweeper! Hats off to a new favorite to many! The best and easiest strategy for this Pokemon is if she's partnered by Indeedee.
Hatterene plans to set up Trick Room while Indeedee follows up with a Follow Me, making sure she sets the stage with no problems at all. She has a very high chance of doing so with the Magic Bounce ability to stop status-afflicting moves and Taunts and Psychic Surge that prevents all first-priority moves. Fake Out? What's that? Then the second turn is when the fun begins, the Pokemon Gigantamaxes to an almighty powerhouse and goes in for a G-Max Smite or a Max Mindstorm while she obtains support from Indeedee's Helping Hand. Let me tell you, a Max Mindstorm combined with Psychic Surge and Helping Hand means bye-bye to many opponents, even with the Light Screen up!
While she's the most-popular choice to go for because of Trick Room, Steel-types especially Stalwart Duraludon are a problem. That's why she's holding Babiri Berry so that she has a chance of surviving a big Max Steelspike attack. However, GMAX Duraludons are the bane of her existence as the G-Max Depletion not only doing a lot of damage but also saps away all the Trick Room PP, making her unable to set it up. Opposing Trick Roomers are also a challenge to face as it requires mind games to predict if they are going to set up their own Trick Room or not. Despite all of this, Hatterene is amazing. It's all about setting up the strategy and going for broke.
Indeedee (F)
Nature: Relaxed
IVs: 31/0/31/31/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/212 Def/44 Sp.Def
Ability: Psychic Surge
Held Item: Colbur Berry
Psychic
Follow Me
Helping Hand
Protect
Hatterene's great-and-powerful partner! Indeedee is just what she needs to safely set up Trick Room. Psychic Surge brings in the Psychic terrain to boost the power of telekinetic powers and stop all chance of first-strike attacks which I've mentioned earlier. By partnering her up with other team members, it increases the likelihood of them OHKOing opponents with their powerful moves. This Pokemon is indeed a brilliant partner for Double Battles.
Indeedee also hits hard with Psychic blast thanks to the Psychic Surge when she wants to make sure her opponents are down for the count. However, her best moves are Follow Me and Helping Hand. Follow Me is very helpful against Ghost-type Pokemon such as Mimikyu and Gengar as they do nothing against her when Hatterene is on the field and Helping Hand helps her, Torkoal and Rhyperior immensely. Colbur Berry was selected as the held-item because I wanted to make sure she survives a Foul Play or a Darkest Lariat from those such as Grimmsnarl, it does help when she has a Relaxed nature.
As mentioned before, the main threat to watch out for is Stalwart Duraludons. They completely bypass her entirely, making her team members vulnerable to them and that can cripple this team's strategy. when it comes to her, strong Bug-type users such as Escavalier and even Frosmoth can take her down in a cinch. When it comes to roles, Indeedee wants to make sure Trick Room is set up safely. Once she faints, Torkoal, Rhyperior or Snorlax, would take her place as an act of revenge. You know what they say: If you mess with the bull, you get the horns.
Torkoal
Nature: Quiet
IVs: 31/0/31/31/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/252 Sp.Atk/4 Sp.Def
Ability: Drought
Held Item: Charcoal
Eruption
Flamethrower
Solar Beam
Protect
Back in the Battle Tree in Pokemon Sun/Moon, this Pokemon was an absolute powerhouse with the Drought ability and it still is, probably even better! If I was a mathematician during all the calculations. Trick Room + Drought + Charcoal + Helping Hand + Eruption = TOTAL MELTDOWN!! Facing this Pokemon is like facing a real volcano!
Eruptions is its best move at full-health. No doubt about it. It's like it was inspired by Mega Camerupt and Typhlosions back in the day and decided it wants to play their role as well. Flamethrower is another great option if Torkoal is not as full HP or when Wide Guards are used. Fire Blast would be a nice move for extra power but Flamethrower is better because it has more accuracy. Solar Beam is for Water, Rock and Ground-type coverage, making Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Rhyperior go bye-bye and Protect to stay out of harms way, especially from Rhyperior's Earthquakes.
As it relies on Trick Rooms and Sunny Days, without them, Torkoal is very vulnerable. Rain teams are a huge issue for it as they weaken its power to a minimum. The only way for it to succeed is to keep it in the backrow just so that once the rain is up, it brings out the sun. Even so, careful moves must be made or else it'll fall flat to heavy hitting Water, Rock and Ground-type moves. It's another one of those Pokemon that can rely on mind games to win.
Snorlax
Nature: Brave
IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Def
Ability: Gluttony
Held Item: Figy Berry
Body Slam
Darkest Lariat
Belly Drum
Protect
Meet the old-favorite to many, Snorlax! We all know back when Trick Room was introduced in Diamond and Pearl, Snorlax was chosen to be one of the best Trick Room sweepers around. With great bulk and raw power, it's no wonder Snorlax is loved by many and it got better thanks to the new Gigantamax form.
It may not have Return anymore, but it still has the hard-hitting Body Slam! After a successful Belly Drum set-up, Snorlax does tremendous damage to its opponent like a big piano dropping on a cartoon character. Since Gigantamax Snorlax does not learn Double-Edge, Body Slam is the best choice. Darkest Lariat is to finally give it type coverage against Ghost-types like Eviolite G-Corsola, Cursola, Gengars and Dragapults. Now Belly Drum is a move everyone must watch out for. With the cost of half its HP, Snorlax power goes into overdrive, and its HP goes back up after consuming the Figy Berry! With Trick Room up and running, Snorlax makes sure its opponents are down and out. Lastly, Protect/Max Guard is to block other attacks and Rhyperior's Earthquakes.
As Belly Drum requires a turn to set up, it can be a punching bag for Fighting-type users such as Machamp, Sirfetch'd and Grapploct, those that learn the infamous Taunt and those that cause burns. Burns can cripple Snorlax's sweeping strategy, making it tired and fall down due to fatigue. Eviolite G-Corsola and Dusclops are considered the worst matchups if Belly Drum and Trick Room are not set up. Theyu can survive the Darkest Lariat/Max Darkness attacks and wear it down with their other moves.
Rhyperior
Nature: Brave
IVs: 31/31/31/x/31/0
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Sp.Def
Ability: Solid Rock
Held Item: Weakness Policy
Earthquake
Rock Slide
Fire Punch
Protect
Another Pokemon I remember back in Pokemon Sun/Moon was Mudsdale. Another successful Trick Room sweeper. Why am I telling you this? It's because Rhyperior plays more of a similar role with its huge power and type coverage. It may have more weaknesses, but that's where Weakness Policy comes in, increasing its Attack even further. Thanks to Solid Rock, it can survive some more super-effective hits and counterattack with its own!
Earthquake and Rock Slide are both STAB moves capable of hitting both Pokemon on the opponent's side of the field. However, Earthquake requires a team member to protect itself for it to work. In Trick Room, Rock Slide has a chance to flinch others, stopping whatever they've got planned. Fire Punch is to get through the likes of Ferrothorn, Eldegoss and Whimsicott and Protect as I said before to bring its guard up.
Solid Rock may make it survive more fatal attacks and let Weakness Policy kick in but not all of them. An almighty water-type move from Pelipper, Inteleon and Rotom-W, a grass-type move from Rotom-M, Rillaboom, Flapple and Max Overgrowth Coalossal and even Duraludons can bring Rhyperior down to its knees in an instant. It has less-chance surviving Special Attacks than physical Attacks but moves that are super-effective against it are the ones to keep a close eye on. Rhyperior could either go for broke or not. Burns can also be a big problem for Rhyperior since it is a physical sweeper. After a Will-O-Wisp from G-Corsola and Dusclops, Rhyperior becomes a sitting duck. All of these threats must be addressed for this Pokemon when it comes to going in for a clean sweep.
Vileplume
Nature: Timid
IVs: 31/0/31/31/31/31
EVs: 252 Sp.Atk/4 Sp.Def/252 Speed
Ability: Chlorophyll
Held Item: Iapapa Berry
Energy Ball
Sludge Bomb
After You
Sleep Powder
What's this? A Pokemon that's not slow in the Trick Room team? Why's that? Well, let me explain. I've noticed that Trainers can have Trick Room Pokemon and fast sweepers in a single team and it still works wonders. The metagame is all about predicting what Pokemon your opponent is going to choose to counter yours. As 5 team members rely on Trick Room, I thought I could stir things up with a fast Pokemon that is supported by Sunny Day. Leafeon was considered a good choice with its faster Speed, but it does fall flat on type coverage and moves. So the best Chlorophyll user to go with this team is none other than Vileplume. It has a priority against Water, Ground, Rock and Fairy-types and supports its partners with more Speed priority with After You.
I realized that Energy Ball was buffed to 90 BP which is a good thing for Vileplume. So that move was chosen over Solar Beam and Giga Drain. Yes, Solar Beam has more BP but without the Sun, this Pokemon has to wait a turn for it to charge, making it vulnerable. Sludge Bomb is get through the likes of Sylveon, Rapidash, Rillaboom, Clefables, Gardevoir and especially Togekiss. Sleep Powder can also put them asleep so Vileplume has a chance to triumph over them. Finally, After You is a move that Trainers usually forget how well it plays in Double Battles. It's best for this Pokemon to side with Torkoal as the Sun increases its Speed. With After You, it helps Torkoal gain more Speed coverage against others as it goes for an Eruption. This was inspired by another user who plays a similar role: After You Lilligant.
It still has its drawbacks though. Opposing Trick Room Psychic-types have no problem against it. This includes the Hatterene and Indeedee combo I've mentioned earlier. Fire and Flying-types such as Charizard, Centiskorch, Coalossal, Braviary, Arcanine and even Togekiss can wipe it away like a stain on a kitchen floor.
- Overall Team Review -
In conclusion, I think this Sun + Trick Room team has great potential in this year's VGC format. It has Pokemon willing to dominate at many angles when Trick Room is up and has great support with Indeedee's Follow Me and Helping Hand and Vileplumes After You. However from my point of view when it comes to threats, this team does not have any resistances against heavy-hitting Rain Dance sweepers aside from Vileplume. Gastrodon could be a good replacement over Rhyperior to cover that weakness. But the Pokemon that would be big trouble against this team as a whole I think is Stalwart Duraludon, especially when it Dynamaxes/Gigantamaxses. It is unfazed by whatever Indeedee has and can completely stop Hatterene in its tracks, leaving this team with no Trick Room at all. If I can find some way to get over that big threat, this team can go all the way to the Master Ball Tier in Ranked Battles.
And that's the team! What do you think? Are there any improvements you think I need to make for this to perform even better? Please let me know as your feedback is greatly appreciated. Have a nice day and stay fresh! ;)
Here's the Pokepaste version of this team: https://pokepast.es/0d913f4ac758eb12
Hatterene: if you find that having max Special Attack investment isn't super important to you, consider trying 252 HP / 148 SpA / 108 SpD. This loses you about 6.8% of your offensive output, but you get to survive Helping Hand Max Steelspike from Timid Duraludon or Max Steelspike from Modest LO Duraludon. Given how much your team relies on getting Trick Room set up, it may be useful to prioritize bulk on Hatterene.
Snorlax: ideally, most of the time Snorlax will be attacking at +5 or +6, so it really doesn't need that much offensive investment. First off, I'd change Body Slam to Facade, since it helps Snorlax to avoid being slowed down tremendously by burns from Arcanine or various Ghost-types, and the difference in BP isn't really noticeable when you're either Dynamaxed (130 BP vs 120 BP) or when you're at +6 anyway. Something like 196 HP / 68 Atk / 244 Def with a Relaxed Nature lets you take a Close Combat from 204+ Atk Conkeldurr (the set that Aaron Traylor used on his Dallas-winning team) all the time:
Rhyperior: Rhyperior is just really strong in general after a WP activation, so you could consider dropping a little Attack investment from this set. Eduardo Cunha ran a semi-Trick Room team with an EV spread of 228 HP / 100 Atk / 100 Def / 76 SpD / 4 Spe and an Adamant Nature on his Rhyperior; you could run a similar amount of bulk on yours, dropping the speed investment and using a Brave Nature instead if you'd prefer to go all-in on Trick Room (which might suit this team better in general).