Hello everyone, new to this forum and to competitive Pokemon (and, I'm ashamed to say, relatively new to Pokemon in general). For the last few weeks I've been playing around on Showdown. Most people are extremely tolerant of my occasional slip-ups, but there have sadly been exceptions to this rule who haven't hesitated to tell me how bad my plays and/or team are. I'm not upset by them because hey, this is the internet, but I am frustrated: "You suck, retard" might tell you you're bad, but it misses the crucial point of telling you in what way. So I've come here in hope of getting some more constructive feedback.
So far I have made NU and RU teams. The NU team is probably pretty crappy, but I'm pleased with the RU one and have had some neat victories with it, so I'm going to post it here. I'd be grateful if you could let me know what you think and give any suggestions you have for tweaking it. he movesets are mostly straight out of the Smogon Pokedex because as I say I'm new to this.
Here goes:
Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Sassy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Toxic
-Gyro Ball
I chose Steelix because it's a reliable wall and Stealth Rock is always nice to have. I tend to use it as a lead and get the rocks on the field early. Later it can be switched into electric and fairy moves. Toxic can be used for stalling and Gyro ball gets a shout-out because I've found it can can deal very well with less bulky Diancie variants, which gives Absol less to worry about.
Venusaur @ Black Sludge
Ability: Overgrow
Nature: Modest
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb
-Sleep Powder
-Synthesis
Venusaur is one of the best tanks in my opinion, and people often expect them to be bulky so I decided to try and think of a more offensive set. It be switched into electric, rock, water and fairy attacks and break through bulky opponents, including slower Venusaur variants. Once a Pokemon is burned or poisoned this Venusaur is also a good staller with Synthesis. Sleep Powder can prevent a setup and if all else fails and you're low on HP, Giga Drain+Overgrow can sometimes buy you time. The major downside to this set is that it doesn't have any coverage, but the rest of the team seems to compensate for that as long as I switch carefully.
Absol @ Life Orb
Ability: Super Luck
Nature: Naughty
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
-Sucker Punch
-Knock Off
-Fire Blast
-Pursuit
I chose Absol as it has insanely powerful Attack and can double up as a wallbreaker and a sweeper. Running a mixed set catches people off guard and Fire Blast can deal with Escavalier, which often gets switched into this Absol. Sucker Punch and Pursuit are also incredibly effective at getting rid of key Pokemon on the other team when I get my predictions right, and Knock Off is a 'safe option' that can also get rid of key items such as leftovers on Alomomola.
Fletchinder @ Eviolite
Ability: Gale Wings
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Def / 28 SpD
-Swords Dance
-Acrobatics
-Will-o-wisp
-Roost
Fletchinder was the last Pokemon I added and I chose it so I could have a switch-in to Will-o-wisp and ground type moves. It would probably be the one I'd be most willing to change (one of my alternative ideas being Flygon, as then I could hit Dragon types super-effectively, which I can't as the team stands). Its main use is as a late-game cleaner as otherwise I find it quite hard to switch in safely and set up properly. However, once it is in it can also use Roost to stall a statused Pokemon. I do find the lack of Fire STAB troubling as Absol is pretty fragile and can go down easily, but there isn't really anything I can reasonably take out of this set.
Hitmonlee @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
-High Jump Kick
-Knock Off
-Rapid Spin
-Mach Punch
Hitmonlee is absolutely necessary for entry hazard removal and can also be a very good late game cleaner. HJK can potentially OHKO, Mach Punch is the safe option if I'm worried there's going to be a switch and Knock Off can be handy if Absol goes down too early.
Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
Nature: Bold
EVs: 120 HP / 36 Def / 252 SpD
-Wish
-Scald
-Protect
-Toxic
I chose Alomomola as it can cleric really well with Wish and keep my two Life orb users alive for longer than would otherwise be possible. It's also a wall that's capable of stalling with Toxic + Protect, and can potentially get a burn with Scald.
Anyway, that's the team as it stands now, and I hope that I managed to write this correctly. really enjoy using this team and hope I can keep it going with only minor tweaks in Gen VI so I ca make it a reality in an actual game.
I'm sorry if this was longwinded. Thanks for taking the time to read this if you did, and I hope you have a nice day.
So far I have made NU and RU teams. The NU team is probably pretty crappy, but I'm pleased with the RU one and have had some neat victories with it, so I'm going to post it here. I'd be grateful if you could let me know what you think and give any suggestions you have for tweaking it. he movesets are mostly straight out of the Smogon Pokedex because as I say I'm new to this.
Here goes:
Steelix @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Sassy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
-Stealth Rock
-Earthquake
-Toxic
-Gyro Ball
I chose Steelix because it's a reliable wall and Stealth Rock is always nice to have. I tend to use it as a lead and get the rocks on the field early. Later it can be switched into electric and fairy moves. Toxic can be used for stalling and Gyro ball gets a shout-out because I've found it can can deal very well with less bulky Diancie variants, which gives Absol less to worry about.
Venusaur @ Black Sludge
Ability: Overgrow
Nature: Modest
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb
-Sleep Powder
-Synthesis
Venusaur is one of the best tanks in my opinion, and people often expect them to be bulky so I decided to try and think of a more offensive set. It be switched into electric, rock, water and fairy attacks and break through bulky opponents, including slower Venusaur variants. Once a Pokemon is burned or poisoned this Venusaur is also a good staller with Synthesis. Sleep Powder can prevent a setup and if all else fails and you're low on HP, Giga Drain+Overgrow can sometimes buy you time. The major downside to this set is that it doesn't have any coverage, but the rest of the team seems to compensate for that as long as I switch carefully.
Absol @ Life Orb
Ability: Super Luck
Nature: Naughty
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
-Sucker Punch
-Knock Off
-Fire Blast
-Pursuit
I chose Absol as it has insanely powerful Attack and can double up as a wallbreaker and a sweeper. Running a mixed set catches people off guard and Fire Blast can deal with Escavalier, which often gets switched into this Absol. Sucker Punch and Pursuit are also incredibly effective at getting rid of key Pokemon on the other team when I get my predictions right, and Knock Off is a 'safe option' that can also get rid of key items such as leftovers on Alomomola.
Fletchinder @ Eviolite
Ability: Gale Wings
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 152 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Def / 28 SpD
-Swords Dance
-Acrobatics
-Will-o-wisp
-Roost
Fletchinder was the last Pokemon I added and I chose it so I could have a switch-in to Will-o-wisp and ground type moves. It would probably be the one I'd be most willing to change (one of my alternative ideas being Flygon, as then I could hit Dragon types super-effectively, which I can't as the team stands). Its main use is as a late-game cleaner as otherwise I find it quite hard to switch in safely and set up properly. However, once it is in it can also use Roost to stall a statused Pokemon. I do find the lack of Fire STAB troubling as Absol is pretty fragile and can go down easily, but there isn't really anything I can reasonably take out of this set.
Hitmonlee @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
-High Jump Kick
-Knock Off
-Rapid Spin
-Mach Punch
Hitmonlee is absolutely necessary for entry hazard removal and can also be a very good late game cleaner. HJK can potentially OHKO, Mach Punch is the safe option if I'm worried there's going to be a switch and Knock Off can be handy if Absol goes down too early.
Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
Nature: Bold
EVs: 120 HP / 36 Def / 252 SpD
-Wish
-Scald
-Protect
-Toxic
I chose Alomomola as it can cleric really well with Wish and keep my two Life orb users alive for longer than would otherwise be possible. It's also a wall that's capable of stalling with Toxic + Protect, and can potentially get a burn with Scald.
Anyway, that's the team as it stands now, and I hope that I managed to write this correctly. really enjoy using this team and hope I can keep it going with only minor tweaks in Gen VI so I ca make it a reality in an actual game.
I'm sorry if this was longwinded. Thanks for taking the time to read this if you did, and I hope you have a nice day.