I had an old team from awhile ago that I liked, but found that it lacked a few things. The old team was Spiritomb (Lead), Electivire (physical attacker), Flygon (Choice Banded), Porygon-Z (Choice Scarfed), Tangrowth (physical wall), and Mesprit (Calm Mind). It was a fun team to use, but I decided to tweak it some. It still has some things that you don't usually see, so it makes things different. Here's what I came up with:
Spiritomb
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Atk / 116 SpD
Item: Leftovers / Lum Berry
~ Sucker Punch / Pursuithttp://www.smogon.com/dp/moves/sucker_punch
~ Taunthttp://www.smogon.com/dp/moves/taunt
~ Pain Splithttp://www.smogon.com/dp/moves/pain_split
~ Will-O-Wisp
I've used this as a lead for awhile, and I love it. It can cripple many common leads, including Azelf, Bronzong, and Aerodactyl. Taunt stops Bronzong from setting up anything and can Burn it, while the only thing Bronzong can do back to it is Earthquake or (low-powered) Gyro Ball. The situation is similar with Aerodactyl, except it will get to do SOMETHING before Taunt or Will-O-Wisp hits it. With Trick leads (Azelf, Alakazam, etc) becoming more and more common, I'm considering switching Sucker Punch to Pursuit, because after they Trick (And in Azelf's case, set up Stealth Rock), they either switch out (Dying to Pursuit in the process) or stay in (Still dying to Pursuit). Of course, after Spiritomb is tricked, it's pretty much useless.
It's not required, but I would like for this team to somehow have a way to work around Item Clause, hence the option of a Lum Berry. I have Pain Split on Spiritomb and not on Mismagius (Introduced later), so Lum Berry seems to be the better option if I decide to play around Item Clause.
Electivire
Nature: Adamant / Lonely
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe or 252 Atk / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
Item: Expert Belt
~ ThunderPunch / Thunderbolt
~ Ice Punch
~ Cross Chop
~ Earthquake
Electivire was the first Pokémon I bred competitively, so it has a spot in my heart. However, it isn't on this team merely because I like it. It will provide excellent support for Forretress (who will be introduced later). What's the #1 threat to Forretress? Magnezone. However, with its Shed Shell equipped, I can switch to Electivire, possibly getting a Motor Drive boost. Even if Magnezone DOESN'T use Thunderbolt, it can't do anything big to Electivire once it's in. Magnezone uses Magnet Rise on the switch? No problem! I still have Cross Chop to hit Magnezone hard. I like the idea of one physical sweeper, one special sweeper, and one mixed sweeper on the team, but I'm not sure that I like the Speed drop from physical to mixed, so I'll want some opinions for that.
This might be swapped for a MixApe, which will mean switching Forretress to Flygon, and if Magnezone uses Magnet Rise, Flygon to Infernape.
Flygon
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe
Item: Choice Band
~ Earthquake
~ Outrage
~ Stone Edge / Fire Punch
~ U-Turn
That's right, shiny Flygon. Flygon is really interesting. Jolly over Adamant is to get the jump on neutral Speed Salamence. I prefer it over Salamence not only because Salamence is just seen so much that I get bored of it, but because it resists Stealth Rock rather than being weak to it. I'm still trying to decide on Stone Edge vs Fire Punch.
The 220 Speed is because this Flygon only has 30 Speed.
Porygon-Z
Ability: Adaptability
Nature: Modest
EVs: 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Item: Choice Scarf
~ Tri Attack
~ Dark Pulse
~ Thunderbolt
~ Ice Beam
I like this set, personally. I know it's usually recommended to use Hidden Power Fighting, but I prefer the BoltBeam combo. Adaptability Tri Attack still amazes me. Dark Pulse can kick Gengar around and has a chance of flinching it.
Forretress
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Item: Shed Shell
~ Rapid Spin
~ Earthquake
~ Stealth Rock
~ Rest
I just bred this yesterday, and I like it. I have Stealth Rock over Spikes because I don't have anything else on the team setting something up, and in most cases, Stealth Rock does more damage. It only needs one turn of set-up. It's also the first Rapid Spinner I've ever bred, and although nothing on this team is weak to Stealth Rock, damage upon switching in gets old really quickly. Earthquake is there to hit Magnezone on a switch-in. If it switches in on an Earthquake, Forretress can survive a Thunderbolt and KO it with another Earthquake. If it doesn't switch in on an Earthquake, I have Electivire to fall back on (Explained more in-depth in its description). For now, I have Rest, but it could easily be changed to Explosion if I find it doesn't work out.
Mismagius
Nature: Timid
EVs: 108 HP / 180 SpA / 220 Spe
Item: Leftovers / Lum Berry
~ Substitute
~ Calm Mind
~ Shadow Ball
~ Hidden Power Fighting
I felt like putting something on the team to block Rapid Spin, and Mismagius is a pretty cool Pokémon. The strategy here is pretty simple; switch in on a Rapid Spinner, Substitute while they switch (IF they switch), Calm Mind behind the Substitute, and launch STAB Shadow Ball or Hidden Power Fighting. Once Platinum comes out, I'm liable to switch to one of the Rotom-As.
The choice of Leftovers vs Lum Berry is discussed in Spiritomb's description.
It looks good from what I can tell... even with the old members, this team hardly ever lost. It seems to support itself well, status isn't a huge issue (Electivire absorbs Thunder Wave, Mismagius can set up a Substitute and block any status attempts, and Forretress is immune to Toxic while Resting off a Burn), and it's got a good bit of power behind it. I've got a few more final decisions to make, but this is the basic layout.
Spiritomb
Nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Atk / 116 SpD
Item: Leftovers / Lum Berry
~ Sucker Punch / Pursuithttp://www.smogon.com/dp/moves/sucker_punch
~ Taunthttp://www.smogon.com/dp/moves/taunt
~ Pain Splithttp://www.smogon.com/dp/moves/pain_split
~ Will-O-Wisp
I've used this as a lead for awhile, and I love it. It can cripple many common leads, including Azelf, Bronzong, and Aerodactyl. Taunt stops Bronzong from setting up anything and can Burn it, while the only thing Bronzong can do back to it is Earthquake or (low-powered) Gyro Ball. The situation is similar with Aerodactyl, except it will get to do SOMETHING before Taunt or Will-O-Wisp hits it. With Trick leads (Azelf, Alakazam, etc) becoming more and more common, I'm considering switching Sucker Punch to Pursuit, because after they Trick (And in Azelf's case, set up Stealth Rock), they either switch out (Dying to Pursuit in the process) or stay in (Still dying to Pursuit). Of course, after Spiritomb is tricked, it's pretty much useless.
It's not required, but I would like for this team to somehow have a way to work around Item Clause, hence the option of a Lum Berry. I have Pain Split on Spiritomb and not on Mismagius (Introduced later), so Lum Berry seems to be the better option if I decide to play around Item Clause.
Electivire
Nature: Adamant / Lonely
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe or 252 Atk / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
Item: Expert Belt
~ ThunderPunch / Thunderbolt
~ Ice Punch
~ Cross Chop
~ Earthquake
Electivire was the first Pokémon I bred competitively, so it has a spot in my heart. However, it isn't on this team merely because I like it. It will provide excellent support for Forretress (who will be introduced later). What's the #1 threat to Forretress? Magnezone. However, with its Shed Shell equipped, I can switch to Electivire, possibly getting a Motor Drive boost. Even if Magnezone DOESN'T use Thunderbolt, it can't do anything big to Electivire once it's in. Magnezone uses Magnet Rise on the switch? No problem! I still have Cross Chop to hit Magnezone hard. I like the idea of one physical sweeper, one special sweeper, and one mixed sweeper on the team, but I'm not sure that I like the Speed drop from physical to mixed, so I'll want some opinions for that.
This might be swapped for a MixApe, which will mean switching Forretress to Flygon, and if Magnezone uses Magnet Rise, Flygon to Infernape.
Flygon
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Atk / 220 Spe
Item: Choice Band
~ Earthquake
~ Outrage
~ Stone Edge / Fire Punch
~ U-Turn
That's right, shiny Flygon. Flygon is really interesting. Jolly over Adamant is to get the jump on neutral Speed Salamence. I prefer it over Salamence not only because Salamence is just seen so much that I get bored of it, but because it resists Stealth Rock rather than being weak to it. I'm still trying to decide on Stone Edge vs Fire Punch.
The 220 Speed is because this Flygon only has 30 Speed.
Porygon-Z
Ability: Adaptability
Nature: Modest
EVs: 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Item: Choice Scarf
~ Tri Attack
~ Dark Pulse
~ Thunderbolt
~ Ice Beam
I like this set, personally. I know it's usually recommended to use Hidden Power Fighting, but I prefer the BoltBeam combo. Adaptability Tri Attack still amazes me. Dark Pulse can kick Gengar around and has a chance of flinching it.
Forretress
Nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpD
Item: Shed Shell
~ Rapid Spin
~ Earthquake
~ Stealth Rock
~ Rest
I just bred this yesterday, and I like it. I have Stealth Rock over Spikes because I don't have anything else on the team setting something up, and in most cases, Stealth Rock does more damage. It only needs one turn of set-up. It's also the first Rapid Spinner I've ever bred, and although nothing on this team is weak to Stealth Rock, damage upon switching in gets old really quickly. Earthquake is there to hit Magnezone on a switch-in. If it switches in on an Earthquake, Forretress can survive a Thunderbolt and KO it with another Earthquake. If it doesn't switch in on an Earthquake, I have Electivire to fall back on (Explained more in-depth in its description). For now, I have Rest, but it could easily be changed to Explosion if I find it doesn't work out.
Mismagius
Nature: Timid
EVs: 108 HP / 180 SpA / 220 Spe
Item: Leftovers / Lum Berry
~ Substitute
~ Calm Mind
~ Shadow Ball
~ Hidden Power Fighting
I felt like putting something on the team to block Rapid Spin, and Mismagius is a pretty cool Pokémon. The strategy here is pretty simple; switch in on a Rapid Spinner, Substitute while they switch (IF they switch), Calm Mind behind the Substitute, and launch STAB Shadow Ball or Hidden Power Fighting. Once Platinum comes out, I'm liable to switch to one of the Rotom-As.
The choice of Leftovers vs Lum Berry is discussed in Spiritomb's description.
It looks good from what I can tell... even with the old members, this team hardly ever lost. It seems to support itself well, status isn't a huge issue (Electivire absorbs Thunder Wave, Mismagius can set up a Substitute and block any status attempts, and Forretress is immune to Toxic while Resting off a Burn), and it's got a good bit of power behind it. I've got a few more final decisions to make, but this is the basic layout.
Last edited:
). Basically Pursuit for a guranteed attack and the switch damage. Personally I would run Lum berry so he isnt statused, and so Mismagius can sweep.