Coma's LC team (work in progress)

[comatthew6]

Hey guys, it looks like I'm actually going to need help with this team. I've been toying around with quite a few Pokemon in Gen V little cup, and I *think* that I finally found a team that works (it's a shocker). I will greatly appreciate all comments / advice / criticisms that you guys have, so nitpick away!

(17:01:10) +RankingBot: Your rank in Standard LC is 58/409! (yeah I suck. Like a lot)

The team:

The lead:
EM (Tesshiido) (M) @ Evolution Stone
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 164 HP / 188 Def / 148 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Seed Bomb
- Gyro Ball

Why Tesshiido?

Well, I needed a solid lead that could lay down entry hazards with ease, as well as having high defenses across the board. Tesshiido felt like a natural choice because it can easily put down a couple of layers of Spikes before going down, can tank most attacks thanks to solid defenses and the Evo Stone, and has access to Leech Seed, a very annoying move in any metagame. I like leading off with Tessy in most cases except against other Tesshiido (in which case Murkrow leads) but I just happen to use it because of its reliability, and ability to beat Hippopotas a good 100% of the time.

Nails: Tess is gay
Nails: and EM is gay
Nails: so…

Ghost #1:
macle (Pururiru) (M) @ Evolution Stone
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 236 HP / 196 Def / 76 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Boil Over
- Energy Ball
- Shadow Ball
- Recover

Why Pururiru?

I chose Pururiru as a bulky Ghost because of its great typing, above-average defenses, and access to reliable recovery. Boil Over gets STAB as well as a 30% chance of burn, something that I will absolutely need against Zurrugu (a Pokémon that did not make this team). Energy Ball is for coverage and Shadow Ball hits other Ghost-types for super effective damage. I like the Evo Stone on it since it can sponge more attacks, and because of Recover, Oran Berry did not belong on this set. The EVs pump up Pururiru's defensive stats, since its Defense is lacking.

The Scout:
Vader (Kojofuu) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Regeneration
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Hi Jump Kick
- Payback
- Rock Slide
- U-turn

Why Kojofuu?

Because I hate Zurruggu, that's why. Kojofuu is my lone scout on the team, after I decided to replace Gligar with Snover. Regeneration is probably one of the best new abilities that came out (behind Mischievous Heart, of course), and Kojofuu can essentially keep itself alive forever as long as Hi Jump Kick doesn't miss twice. It should also be noted that this is my only reliable Zurruggu counter, a Pokémon that actually doesn't give me much trouble as long as Kojofuu is still alive.

The Janitor:
Nails (Snover) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 116 HP / 184 SAtk / 200 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Water Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Why Snover?

I needed a Pokémon that could beat SubRoost Gligar one-on-one, so this is why I chose Snover. Blizzard smacks anything that doesn't resist it (minus Munchlax, of course. Damn Thick Fat…), and Energy Ball is a nice secondary STAB attack. Not much has changed for Scarfed Snover, as I kept its moveset the same. HP Fire hits Tesshiido although Blizzard does a lot of damage anyways, and Water Pulse hits Fire-types like Hitomoshi and Growlithe. Snover is a great endgame sweeper that can deal a lot of damage if I play it correctly (which I do).

The Wall-breaker:
Bluewind (Murkrow) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Insomnia
EVs: 76 Atk / 236 SAtk / 188 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Pluck
- Sucker Punch
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Why Murkrow?

Because it's Murkrow, duh! It is one of the strongest Pokémon in this Gen, and I really hope that it doesn't get banned sometime soon. Pluck gets STAB as well as having a great secondary ability in being able to eat berries off of other Pokémon. Sucker Punch is its secondary STAB but I now don't have a reliable SE move against Ghosts like Misdreavus (especially Misdreavus), so I was wondering if I should remove HP Ice for Dark Pulse or something. Heat Wave smacks Tesshiido and other Grass-types, as well as Steel-types thinking they can beat this set. HP Ice was primarily for Gligar and Hippo but that move is the most debatable on this set. I'm not using Mischievous Heart because, as you can see, there are no support moves.

Ghost #2:
Heysup (Misdreavus) (M) @ Oran Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 36 Def / 240 SAtk / 240 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Why Misdreavus?

I needed a Pokémon that could dish out a lot of damage while taking hits at the same time. Its Will-o-Wisp, though unreliable, renders Gligar and other physical attackers pretty much useless unless they sport a Lum Berry. It also allows Missy to cripple Komatama without dying to Sucker Punch. Hidden Power Fighting, alongside Shadow Ball, gives Missy unresisted coverage, something that is absolutely great in Little Cup. Special Attack and Speed are maxed out for damage purposes, and an extra point was thrown into Defense. Oran Berry improves its defenses somewhat and eases prediction in most cases.



Well, there's my team. I know I have a weakness to Zurruggu (4/6 are weak to either Dark or Fighting), and I need another counter. Please rate!

Changes in Bold

 

[(makeup)]

I suggest Giga Drain on Snover over Energy Ball. It's a matter of healing or 5 BP and a special defense drop. Plus, the EVs are wrong. I think it's 116 HP / 184 SpA / 200 Spe or something, but if you want to be sure you can check the special choice set in my sig (yes I'm advertizing)

EDIT: nevermind, you don't have to check it, I did. Yes, those EVs.

 

[comatthew6]

O.o thanks

 

[(makeup)]

more stuff. Tesshiido wants Bullet Seed because it beats subvahna and if you average out the possibilities of damage, it comes out to 87.5 (more than seed bomb). If you want a more solid counter to Gligar and Zuruggu, you can replace Kojofuu with bulky Evo-stone Meditite.

Meditite @ Evo Stone
Pure Power of course
some EV spread, 116 HP / 196 Atk / 236 Spe I think but I might have gotten the attack and speed mixed up, sorry.
- Drain Punch
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
- Zen Headbutt

that's really it. This Meditite lead is epic, it got me from 18 to 9 on the leaderboard (I used Meowth before lol)

edit: oh yeah it makes a good lead. This isn't Dream World though so you can choose your lead anyway.

 

[Elevator Music]

Pururiru is probably the weakest link on your team far as team synergy goes (correct me if I'm wrong here). It's really the only poke I think Zuruggu can safely set up against other than Tesshiido, but at least Tess can Leech Seed which I've found is better than nothing. I say weakest member because it's not really solidly checking anything important. It's obviously your best switchin to Meditite, as well as Dokkora, but other than that it seems kinda useless? It imo detracts from the more offensive nature of your team, and I think you could use a better Fire resistance. I suggest Shellos as a Pururiru replacement?

I suppose the following set would work well for this team:
Shellos (M) @ Evolution Stone Trait: Storm Drain
EVs: 228 HP / 176 Def / 100 SDef / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Boil Over / Surf
- Clear Smog
- Recover
- Yawn / Toxic

It is around as bulky as Pururiru, possibly more bulky (slightly lower defensive stats but higher HP, which is better for Evo Stone users). It has the same access to recovery as Pururiru, and is also immune to Water. However, it doesn't have the nasty Dark (and Ghost) weaknesses that Pururiru has, making it a much better check against Houndour and Zuruggu. Furthermore, it has Clear Smog and Yawn, which prevents Dokkora and Zuruggu from setting up on you. You could alternatively run Stockpile for better tanking abilities or Toxic to help against more defensive teams. It only lacks Will-o-Wisp (which you weren't using anyways) and some of the special attacks Puru has, but that's OK since it kind of already has 4MSS anyways 9.9

You may also adjust the defensive EVs as you see fit. Right now they give 27 HP/14 Def/14 SpDef, but if you find that Zuruggu is doing too much with Crunch or Drain Punch you could invest more in defense. Keep in mind this is just supposed to be a second check to Zuruggu and not a flat out counter.

Beware that this makes Meditite slightly more problematic. I say slightly because Puru wasn't exactly a great switchin to Meditite, but at least it could take a hit. You still have Misdreavus so you will need to predict around Medi, but at the very least you can just revenge kill it with Murkrow or Misdreavus in a pinch ._.

As for small changes, I say replace Payback with Toxic on Kojofuu, as Payback is largely useless this generation on Fighting-types. You're better off U-turning in almost every case, or just attacking with Rock Slide (I personally use Stone Edge which has the same power as SE Payback but hey!). Toxic at least allows you to cripple stuff like Gligar, Pururiru, and Misdreavus that will commonly switch into you. This will be helpful for the rest of your team. I also think using Giga Drain on Snover is also a good idea (over Energy Ball). The 5 BP drop in power is largely irrelevant for such a good side effect. I also think Bullet Seed is better than Seed Bomb on Tesshiido, to hit Sub Misdreavus and friends. Lastly, I find Drill Peck to be more effective than Pluck on Murkrow. It needs the power and is a more viable alternative than Pluck, especially considering most walls don't use Oran Berry.

tldr;
Shellos over Pururiru
Toxic over Payback on Kojofuu
Giga Drain over Energy Ball on Snover
Bullet Seed over Seed Bomb on Tesshiido.
Drill Peck over Pluck on Murkrow


PS: TESSHIIDO IS THE SHIT MOTHAFUCKAHS
its totally not gay snover is the gay one

 

[Nails]

I never said em was gay. I said inconsistent was gay. And snover is quite heterosexual thank you very much.

I don't really understand what tbolt is doing on missy. The most common water type is hit harder by shadow ball anyways... and murkrow destroys it. and wisp destroys krow anyways. if you replace puru with a shellos (which sounds pretty good) then replace oran with an evo stone and run wisp split and shift some SpA into hps to let it take hits better (but keep 19 speed obviously). Also, gyro ball isn't that good in lc... seeing that you lack a stealth rocker, that seems like a pretty obvious replacement move.

If you want a replacement for hp ice, run roost. Heat wave 2koes max hp evo stone gligar anyways (and it should be running max speed or else it's missing out on potential... it wouldn't invest in SpD anyways). I prefer brave bird to pluck, but that's just preference.

Lastly, Ice Shard > Water Pulse on snover. Priority is win, and water pulse is really weak.

GL~!

 

[kokoloko]

I'd run HP Ice and Naive on Kojofuu to catch Gligar on the switch, because frankly, Payback sucks on Scarfers now that it doesn't hit switch-ins for double like it did in Gen 4.

Also, I'd much rather have Stealth Rock on Tesshiido than Spikes, as well... its more important. Besides, you don't want to be stuck in an "I don't know whether to Spike or Leech Seed on the switch" conundrum. Also, Bullet Seed > Seed Bomb and Iron Head > Gyro Ball (although a Steel- move seems kind of pointless... I'd much rather run Protect or Thunder Wave). Bullet Seed ensures you'll beat Sub Carvanha and breaks Misdreavus's Subs with two hits, which means you will always break it at the very least.

Finally, your team is pretty weak to Zuruggu right now, so I'd probably replace Pururiru (as Elevator Music said, it seems kind of out of place) with the following Meditite:

Meditite @ Evolution Stone
Huge Power / Jolly
76 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spd
- Drain Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- Fake Out
- Bullet Punch

As long as you keep it above ~ 14 HP it counters Zuruggu, as you can switch in on the DD, take a Crunch and OHKO with Drain Punch, healing yourself in the process. If Zuru Crunches on the switch, you outspeed all variants and OHKO anyway so its always safe to switch in.

Good luck.

PS: @ Nails - Don't hate on Thunderbolt Misdreavus, it beats Clamperl, Aaken and Murkrow on the switch =P Meh, I might start laddering on Smogon more... the Meta is so different.

 

[comatthew6]

thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Nails]

PS: @ Nails - Don't hate on Thunderbolt Misdreavus, it beats Clamperl, Aaken and Murkrow on the switch =P

Aaken and Krow are destroyed by wisp, and I highly doubt clamperl takes 2 shadow balls well with its 35/55 special defense. Pain Split gives it a lot more longevity which is really important for a ghost in the fighting-centered lc meta.