Hello all,
It's been a while since I've posted anything on the forums, and I thought this would be a good place to get myself started again. This team has been one I've been tweaking ever since the No Holds Barred format was announced, and I think I've hit the point where I can talk fairly confidentially about what my team is supposed to do, and what my team is actually doing, and what I think needs some attention. Any constructive criticism is highly encouraged, I'd love to learn from those who are better than me at this game.
Without further rambling from myself...
Zygarde @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance
In my eyes Zygarde is the single best Pokemon in this format. I've always loved the coverage provided by Ground/Dragon, and having the ability to hit Pokemon like Zapdos with Thousand Arrows is amazing. I decided to go with a Dragon Dance set because this Pokemon is incredibly bulky and so it gets chances to set up a Dragon Dance. The Dragonium Z gives me a one shot Nuke that can help really shred some holes in opposing teams.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- Roost
Zapdos was a Pokemon I tossed around a little bit before testing, but after testing for a while this Pokemon has been a major component of my team. I wanted this Pokemon to provide some bulk, status (through discharge's paralysis) and just good coverage against a variety of threats. Zapdos is able to provide an instant answer for rain teams, hitting water-types super effectively with discharge. Hidden Power Ice gives me an answer to Mega Mence as well as to Zygarde, and Heat Wave gives me an answer to Mega Scizor (I'm curious how much I'll see him in cart as opposed to on showdown) as well as Ferrothorn.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Protect
- Earth Power
- Taunt
Sticking with the theme of bulky Pokemon that can cover threats, Heatran has been a mainstay in the VGC metagame for that reason. Lava Plume provides burn, giving me a quick answer to bulkier offensive threats, and Earth Power gives me an answer to Magernea (which I haven't seen as a super problematic Pokemon, but perhaps the threat of Heatran is why.) Taunt on this Pokemon is the only time the move shows up on this team, and I think it's important to have in order to shut down defensive teams.
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled
Since this team is bulkly, a Chansey should naturally be considered. This Pokemon shuts so many offensive threats down that it's crazy. While Pokemon are able to set up against Chansey (one of its biggest weaknesses) I haven't seen a lot of set up moves in this format. The moves are self explanatory, Seismic Toss for damage, Toxic to stall out Pokemon that can't break Chansey, Stealth Rock to aid in fighting focus sashes from stuff like Cloyster as well as the ability to clip Zard prior to mega evolving, and Soft-Boiled for sustain.
Kartana @ Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Detect
Okay, enough bulk. Kartana is my clean-up Pokemon. If Kartana can get a KO then it is pretty much a nightmare to deal with. Focus Sash helps ensure that I'm going to survive stuff, and then the coverage provided by it's dual STAB combo and Sacred Sword are just so valuable. This thing hardcore shuts down the Tapus, and it's just an excellent cleaner.
All of that said, this is the one Pokemon on the team that I've really thought about switching out. I've given Mega-Lopunny some consideration, so if anyone has any advice on that, I would be glad to hear it!
Mimikyu @ Fairium Z
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak
- Play Rough
If you've played Pokemon this generation then you've run into this monster. It's such a staple that I think it would be a waste of time to describe it's moveset, so I'll say this: Twinkle Tackle is probably the most used move on this Pokemon, because it can cover everything from Zygarde to Mega-Lopunny to Marshadow (this is probably my single best Marshadow answer.)
Again, thank you in advance for any feedback, I'll be happy to answer any questions about the team, and I'm certainly happy to have all of the constructive criticism that you guys can provide!
It's been a while since I've posted anything on the forums, and I thought this would be a good place to get myself started again. This team has been one I've been tweaking ever since the No Holds Barred format was announced, and I think I've hit the point where I can talk fairly confidentially about what my team is supposed to do, and what my team is actually doing, and what I think needs some attention. Any constructive criticism is highly encouraged, I'd love to learn from those who are better than me at this game.
Without further rambling from myself...
Zygarde @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance
In my eyes Zygarde is the single best Pokemon in this format. I've always loved the coverage provided by Ground/Dragon, and having the ability to hit Pokemon like Zapdos with Thousand Arrows is amazing. I decided to go with a Dragon Dance set because this Pokemon is incredibly bulky and so it gets chances to set up a Dragon Dance. The Dragonium Z gives me a one shot Nuke that can help really shred some holes in opposing teams.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Heat Wave
- Roost
Zapdos was a Pokemon I tossed around a little bit before testing, but after testing for a while this Pokemon has been a major component of my team. I wanted this Pokemon to provide some bulk, status (through discharge's paralysis) and just good coverage against a variety of threats. Zapdos is able to provide an instant answer for rain teams, hitting water-types super effectively with discharge. Hidden Power Ice gives me an answer to Mega Mence as well as to Zygarde, and Heat Wave gives me an answer to Mega Scizor (I'm curious how much I'll see him in cart as opposed to on showdown) as well as Ferrothorn.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Protect
- Earth Power
- Taunt
Sticking with the theme of bulky Pokemon that can cover threats, Heatran has been a mainstay in the VGC metagame for that reason. Lava Plume provides burn, giving me a quick answer to bulkier offensive threats, and Earth Power gives me an answer to Magernea (which I haven't seen as a super problematic Pokemon, but perhaps the threat of Heatran is why.) Taunt on this Pokemon is the only time the move shows up on this team, and I think it's important to have in order to shut down defensive teams.
Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Soft-Boiled
Since this team is bulkly, a Chansey should naturally be considered. This Pokemon shuts so many offensive threats down that it's crazy. While Pokemon are able to set up against Chansey (one of its biggest weaknesses) I haven't seen a lot of set up moves in this format. The moves are self explanatory, Seismic Toss for damage, Toxic to stall out Pokemon that can't break Chansey, Stealth Rock to aid in fighting focus sashes from stuff like Cloyster as well as the ability to clip Zard prior to mega evolving, and Soft-Boiled for sustain.
Kartana @ Focus Sash
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Detect
Okay, enough bulk. Kartana is my clean-up Pokemon. If Kartana can get a KO then it is pretty much a nightmare to deal with. Focus Sash helps ensure that I'm going to survive stuff, and then the coverage provided by it's dual STAB combo and Sacred Sword are just so valuable. This thing hardcore shuts down the Tapus, and it's just an excellent cleaner.
All of that said, this is the one Pokemon on the team that I've really thought about switching out. I've given Mega-Lopunny some consideration, so if anyone has any advice on that, I would be glad to hear it!
Mimikyu @ Fairium Z
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak
- Play Rough
If you've played Pokemon this generation then you've run into this monster. It's such a staple that I think it would be a waste of time to describe it's moveset, so I'll say this: Twinkle Tackle is probably the most used move on this Pokemon, because it can cover everything from Zygarde to Mega-Lopunny to Marshadow (this is probably my single best Marshadow answer.)
Again, thank you in advance for any feedback, I'll be happy to answer any questions about the team, and I'm certainly happy to have all of the constructive criticism that you guys can provide!