Rate my team please!

[Dan Dan]

This is a Shoddybattle team I have made after reading an article on breaking Mixed Walls in D/P. It started off with just Salamence and Jirachi as a basic core to the team - what I wanted to build the team around.

Bronzong @ Damp Rock
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/160 Def/96 SDef
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Rain Dance
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
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A strange mix of moves for a starting Bronzong. You might say it's a "suicide lead", but I try not to explode until I have to. Stealth Rock is my first choice If I'm met by a random lead or something I know I can afford a turn against.

If I'm met by an equally bulky pokemon (Hippowdon, Swampert), or Focus Sash leads (Weavile or Azelf) I will try to Toxic them. This will hopefully prevent them from sticking around and attempting to stall out my Rain Dance.

Rain Dance basically gives Bronzong no weaknesses. I try to get the rain going the turn before I switch or Explode, just to maximise the length it's out there.

TrickScarf leads are annoying. If I happen to face something I think is going to Trick me, I will just get the Rain Dance out of the way and switch out as they set up Rocks. Taunters just make me switch straight up, to something that will scare it out so Bronzong can come in again. Not the best way of dealing with them I must admit :S

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 108 HP/56 Atk/252 Spd/92 SDef
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Wish
- Reflect
- U-turn
- Zen Headbutt
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Jirachi is mainly support for Salamence and Ludicolo the more frail sweepers I have in my team. They cover each others weaknesses extremely well (Salamence and Jirachi do, not sure about Ludicolo, but it works!) Wish allows Jirachi to take more hits, and allow Ludicolo another chance at setting up. Reflect gives more Defence to the rest of the team, but I'm thinking about Light Screen.

U-Turn allows me to scout slower stuff and pass a Wish in a pinch. Jolly Nature is not really expected , since the recipient of the Wish would have to take a hit, but I find the little extra speed is great for catching people off guard and getting a switch to a counter. I can get a few more flinches with Zen Headbutt as well.

Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 Atk/120 Spd/149 SAtk
Lonely nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Dragon Claw
- Brick Break
- Roost
- Hydro Pump
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This is ideally my late game sweeper. I don't want to show it too early as I don't want to risk getting stastused. The EVs are sort of specific - I don't want Tyranitar around for long and these guarentee a OHKO with Brick Break. Blissey gets 2hko'd no matter what. Fire Blast is predicatable on Mixmence, and in the current Heatran filled Metagame, Hydro Pump catches them on the switch with the OHKO. It gets a boost from the Rain also.

The final question was Crunch vs. Roost. I decide to go with Roost as I don't have a Rapid Spinner, and with Life Orb Salamence's health could be depleated before it gets much done. Crunch hits harder on Cresselia and Dusknoir, but if I get get them Toxiced by Bronzong then hopefully they won't pose much of a threat.

Magnezone @ Damp Rock
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 228 HP/64 Def/216 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rain Dance
- Light Screen
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It took me a very long and frustrating battle with a Skarmory to notice my team was pretty much ALL PHYSICAL. I had Scizor here first (when I battled the Skarm team) holding a Choice Band. It hit ridiculously hard, but did nothing to that metal bird. I then went to Tentacruel as a sort of Utility pokemon, running Hydro Pump/Sludge Bomb/Rapid Spin/Knock Off, but I still felt I had too many water attacks. So I changed my view to "ok so lets just stop those spikes getting up at all!".

Thunder works well with the rain, and Hidden Power Ice from random Dragons or Gliscor who thinks they can come in and Earthquake me. Magnezone also works as a second Rain Dancer for this team.

Instead of removing Reflect from Jirachi for Light Screen, Magnezone can fulfill this role well, but it still has a Ground and Fighting Weakness. Doesn't help my Infernape weakness or DDmence. It's still slow...

Ludicolo (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Thunderpunch
- Waterfall
- Seed Bomb
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Ludiludiludicolo! Ok Jay, I'm sorry...Ludi is great! I love this...so many Blisseys switch in to take a predicted boosted Surf, allowing me to Swords Dance and KO with Waterfall. So then Vaporeon or Starmie come in and BOOM Seed Bomb. Then Gyarados comes in and BOOM Thunderpunch. Good times.

Kingdra (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Rash nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Draco Meteor
- Yawn
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
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My second Rain abuser, Kingdra. Mixed set here with Yawn to allow me to get Dragon Dances in. Lum Berry has saved me loads of times too. Draco Meteor is my wall breaker, not really expected on a Dragon Dance set. If this gets in on the first couple turns of Rain unscathed, then I'm almost guarenteed a kill or two. Watefall and Draco Meteor are only resisted by Shedinja and Empoleon IIRC.

Overall I think I have some trouble with Calm Minders like Celebi, Jirachi and Cresselia and bulky pokemon that can rest off the Toxic. Empoleon also craps on me, with Salamence's Brick Break 2hkoing at best, and unboosted Thunderpunch from Ludi 3hkoing at best.

I quite like this team, and using the Rain to remove the otherwise overwhelming Heatran or Infernape weakness I have :P
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[diamondfan1910]

Rain doesn't really remove those weaknesses. It weakens their Fire moves and makes your sweepers much more fearsome, but you still have weaknesses to those Pokemon. What if the rain runs out?

The standard Mixape isn't getting past Salamence any time soon unless it has HP Ice, and it won't be getting past Ludicolo and Kingdra either. With two definite counters and one probable counter, you don't have a huge problem with it.

Heatran can kill every member of your team, but not all at once. It can only outspeed Salamence if Scarfed, and you can go to one of your Steel types to resist the Dragon Pulse or HP Ice. It can beat Magnezone and Jirachi easily, most easily with Specs. It'll need Specs and no rain to beat Ludicolo with an OHKO (Scarfed Heatran will never OHKO Ludicolo with Fire Blast, although it can do 98% with Overheat), and a Scarf with no rain to beat Kingdra. Specs variants will beat Bronzong. Of course, like I said, it can't beat your Pokemon all at once. I really like the Ludicolo. Since you lack a Special Sweeper, I recommend that you change Kingdra's moveset up to one of the following:

Kingdra @ Life Orb
Swift Swim
Adamant Nature
EVs: 252 Atk/240 SpA/16 Speed
~Rain Dance
~Waterfall
~Hydro Pump
~Draco Meteor

This particular Kingdra is hard to stop once it gets going. After getting the Rain boost it houses huge power with its boosted STAB attacks and enough Speed to outspeed Choice Scarf Heatran and Choice Scarf Porygon-Z (with the given EV investment). It's mostly Special-based, so it remedies the lack of a Special Sweeper.

Kingdra @ Life Orb
Swift Swim
Modest Nature
EVs: 240 HP/252 SpAtk/16 Speed OR 94 HP/252 SpAtk/164 Speed
~Surf/Hydro Pump
~Rain Dance
~Dragon Pulse
~Signal Beam/Hidden Power Electric

Fun Special Sweeper. EV spread 1 gives Kingdra a lot of bulk, see above for the benefits of 16 Speed EVs after rain. EV spread 2 lets Kingdra outspeed Ttar off the bat. I'd recommend EV spread 2 for this particular set. I'd go with Surf for this set since you've got large SpAtk to work with, and for team sweeps accuracy is often better than power. However, Hydro Pump is an option. Kingdra's amazing STAB combo of Water/Dragon is unresisted except for Empoleon and Shedinja, and Empoleon takes more from Hidden Power Electric (34% - 40%) than any of Kingdra's other moves. Signal Beam is a nasty surprise for Celebi more than anything else.

Empoleon doesn't walk all over you at all; just trap it with Magnezone. I'm not crazy about having the unreliable Thunder on Zoney, even if you do have Rain Dance since you want to kill Skarm quick before it does something like set up more Spikes or phaze you out without a costly miss.

 

[Orion]

Powerful Fighting-attacks, like a Choice Banded Heracross, will kill you. With only Salamence resisting it, and it having a -Def nature, it'll die quickly, and then Heracross kills'em all.

Also, Toxic on a suicide lead? Who are you going to outstall, and with what? Since this one is severly fucked by Taunt, give it Gyro Ball so you can hit Azelf and Aerodactyl.

Since this apparently is a Rain Dance-team, Jirachi makes better use of Thunder / Water Pulse / Wish / Rain Dance or Iron Head. With Thunder having 100% accuracy in Rain, and 60% Paralyze-rate with Serene Grace, it is an awesome choice. Water Pulse gets boosted by Rain, and has a 40% Confuse-rate. Then you have Iron Head, getting STAB and having a 60% Flinch ratio, making this a truly annoying and diffictult Pokémon to take down. Just beware of them Tyranitars, as they screw this over. Luckily, they don't like taking a Iron Head. If you use Iron Head over Rain Dance, I would personally try a -Speed nature, since Jirachi doesn't want to have its defenses lowered.

For a Life Orb Salamence, use a Dragon Dance-variant, with DD / Outrage / Earthquake / Stone Edge. You could opt for a mixed Mence with Draco Meteor, but they usually need Fire Blast/Flamethrower to be effective, something not doing well in Rain. DD-Outrage however has the ability to clean up lategame, since it 2HKOs or OHKOs every single Pokémon in the game.

Also, Magnezone seems like a waste. There's better ways to deal with Skarmory on a Rain-team.

Ludicolo wants to be Special. It has lame-ass Attack, and you have so extremely many Pokémon utilizing a Swords Dance sweep so much better.
Ludicolo with Leech Seed / Toxic / Protect / Ice Beam or Surf @Swift Swim and Leftovers, is seriously annoying, and a pain in the ass to kill in rain.

For Kingdra, give it Surf over Yawn, and you can sweep with a mixed set. Surf in Rain will also make Skarmory regret switching in on you. Also, Dragon Dance doesn't really benefit many of your moves, so giving it Rain Dance is a better option.

What I would do is do the changes I suggested here, and then remove Magnezone for a Zapdos or a Rotom. With Rain, they can fire off 100% accurate STAB Thunders, and they also resist Fighting.

 

[Dan Dan]

Thanks for the suggestions; I took some ideas from both of you and came up with a little something like this:

Bronzong @ Damp Rock
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/160 Def/96 SDef
Relaxed nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Rain Dance
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
---

The original set stays - Getting a Toxic in to break Sashes and basically shut down Hippowdon and Swampert does more for me than Gyro Ball in my opinion.

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 108 HP/252 Spd/56 SAtk/92 SDef
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Wish
- Reflect
- Water Pulse
- Thunder
---

Water Pulse seems a little underpowered, not sure about this.


Salamence (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 Atk/136 Spd/124 SAtk
Rash nature (+SAtk, -SDef)
- Hydro Pump
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
---

The has been working much better than my original Salamence, thanks!

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 228 HP/64 Def/216 SAtk
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Light Screen
- Roost
- Extrasensory
---

Heatwave was a no-go in the rain, so I thought I'd try Extrasensory for random bulky fighters like Machamp, Heracross or even Hitmontop.

Ludicolo (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Thunderpunch
- Seed Bomb
- Leech Seed
- Swords Dance
---

70 Base attack is pretty crap, but Life Orb gives it some 2hko power. Trying Leech Seed > Waterfall since I already have a bajillion water moves on the team.

Kingdra (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk/16 Spd/240 SAtk
Naughty nature (+Atk, -SDef)
- Waterfall
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Rain Dance
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Second Dancer, and general badass. Miss Yawn, but I need all these slots :S
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