Gearin' up for Soul Silver

[Falconwing]

Okay, so most of you guys know what my team is, but since I'm new to competitive battling, I figured I'd get an opinion from people who are more experienced that me.

NOTE: I am posting Weavile, but I am NOT accepting any suggestion on her moveset. I have already proven that this particular moveset is sound and should suit me well. But as she is part of the team I felt I should post her.

(Typhlosion) Tony- Brave. EV in At and Sp
Fire Punch (Fire), Brick Break (Fighting), ThunderPunch (Electric), Shadow claw (Ghost)
Item: Expert Belt

(Tyranitar) Keith- Brave. EV in Df and Sp.Df.
Crunch (Dark), Rock Slide (Rock), Dragon Claw (Dragon), Ice Punch (Ice)
Item: King’s Rock

(Espeon) Chloe- Modest. Ev in Sp. And Sp.At
Psychic (Psychic), Shadow Ball (Ghost), Signal Beam (Bug), Grass Knot (Grass)
Item: Wide glasses

(Houndoom) Victor- Modest. Ev in Sp. And Sp.At
Dark Pulse (Dark), Flamethrower (Fire), Sludge Bomb (Poison), Embargo
Item: Focus Sash

(Scizor) Jason- Adamant. Ev in At. And Df.
Iron Head (Steel), X-Scissor (Bug), Night Slash (Dark), Aerial Ace (Flying)
Item: Quick Claw

(Gyrados) Reed- Careful. Ev in At. And Sp. Df.
Waterfall (Water), Avalanche (Ice), Earthquake (Ground), Iron Head (Steel)
Item: Leftovers

Sub:
(Weavile) Ukari- Adamant. EV in At. And Sp.
Night Slash (Dark), Brick Break (Fighting), Ice Punch (Ice), Aerial Ace (Flying)
Item: Focus Sash


(Ignore the nicknames. I've been setting this up in a word document for a while and didn't want to edit them out)

 

[SharKing]

A lot of the moves and a few EVs are questionable. How about these changes?

Typhlosion: Adamant, Choice Scarf, EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 6 HP
Good moveset here.

Tyranitar: Adamant, Leftovers, EVs: 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 6 HP
Moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Earthquake, Dragon Dance
To be honest, Sand Stream does no favors to this team. I'd replace it with that Weavile.

Espeon: Well, actually, you did all right here. I'd replace Signal Beam with Calm Mind, though.

Houndoom: Timid, Choice Specs
Moves: Replace Embargo with... maybe Hidden Power Ice if you can get it. Otherwise, Taunt.

Scizor: Good nature here. Life Orb, and EVs: 252 Attack, 252 HP, 6 Speed.
Moves: Bullet Punch, X-Scissor, Brick Break/Superpower (your choice), Swords Dance

Gyarados: Adamant, Leftovers (good call), Evs: 240 Attack, 252 HP, 14 Sp. Defense
Moves: Waterfall, Ice Fang, Earthquake, Dragon Dance

I know you might not accept changes for Weavile, but here's my suggestion, anyway.

Weavile: Nature, Item, and EVs are good here.
moves: Replace Aerial Ace with Ice Shard. That the one flaw here.

That's what this hardened battler had to say.

 

[Jimiinthesky]

i dont knwo why you'd make typhlosion pysical, the sunny day set is much better

252 spA 252 speed
item of your chosing, life orb maybe, or bright rock
sunny day
eruption
flamethrower
solar beam

the type coverage is excellent, and a full health sunny day powered stab eruption is one of the most powerful moves in the game

compared with the 75 base power fire punch, it doesnt really have any competition

 

[Scarlet Devil]

I don't think "Tony" is perfect for all Physical atks ^.^'

but I like the team, how high is ur gyarados's Sp.Atk?

 

[SharKing]

Well, jimiinthesky, the Sunny Day set is a bit chancy. Usually, when Sunny Day is set up, Typhlosion is either KO'd or (less often) brought down so low, Eruption is virtually powerless.

 

[Falconwing]

The things is, if you look, Typhlosion learns SOOOOO many more physical attacks than special attacks. And I was never one for drawn out strategies. Sharking has a point. If I rely on something that can easily be countered and then I'm left with nothing, I'm screwed. That's kinda why I prefer using offensive moves anyways.

Actually, Sharking, you set up your suggestions well, and I'm sure that I'll be able to glean a lot of information from it, but you leave with a lot of sweeper types. I kinda wanted Tyranitar for a defensive type because his stats are very good anyways, but if I give him a nature that ups his attack and then EV in Def. and Sp. Def, and Sandstream kicks in and raises his Sp. Def by 50%, he becomes pretty durable right?

But you are the expert so I'll jot these down on my doc and see where it goes from there.
But these are good ideas. I wanted Signal Beam with espeon because that should cover her weakness to dark types. Bug>dark.

 

[Nanoka-kun]

can we battle???

 

[DerMißingno]

You have really good coverage, but you definitely need some supporting or boosting moves. What are you going to do if a Snorlax gets off a Curse or two, or a Salamence gets off a couple DD's?

I'm not qualified to make specific suggestions, but I don't think a team with all attacking moves will do very well competitively. I think this battle illustrates that very well, when Aquablade finally decided to battle someone who knew what they were doing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iclpneJXpNo&feature=PlayList&p=BCE54A3D9A1FF7E9&index=16

 

[Falconwing]

You have really good coverage, but you definitely need some supporting or boosting moves. What are you going to do if a Snorlax gets off a Curse or two, or a Salamence gets off a couple DD's?

I'm not qualified to make specific suggestions, but I don't think a team with all attacking moves will do very well competitively. I think this battle illustrates that very well, when Aquablade finally decided to battle someone who knew what they were doing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iclpneJXpNo&feature=PlayList&p=BCE54A3D9A1FF7E9&index=16

I've already seen it. But he also pointed out his mistakes at the end. But really, I'm not emulating him or anything. I jsut prefer straight up attacking. I don't really like having to depend on drawn out strategies because they are so easily countered.

And I consider you quialified. Forget what the other losers say. It's not that I disagree, it's just that it doesn't feel my style.

 

[DerMißingno]

I've already seen it. But he also pointed out his mistakes at the end. But really, I'm not emulating him or anything. I jsut prefer straight up attacking. I don't really like having to depend on drawn out strategies because they are so easily countered.

You don't necessarily need drawn out strategies with support or boosting moves. A few simple things you can do are try to get off a Stealth Rock as early as possible, or like Sharking said add Swords Dance to Scizor and Dragon Dance to Tyranitar. I wouldn't call either of those drawn out strategies, but you will be put at a large advantage if you can get one SD or DD up, and god help your opponent if you can get 2 or 3.

 

[Falconwing]

Typhlosion could do well with a Scarf/Eruption set. Try Eruption/HP Grass/Focus Punch/Overheat. Focus Punch would be great for the obvious Blissey/Heatran switch but you're just as easily walled by Latias, so you might want HP Ice, but then Swampert walls you pretty bad and you can deal with Latias with Tyranitar. You might want to use Earthquake over Focus Punch since it's a guaranteed kill on Heatran. Give it 144 Attk/252 SAttk/112 Spd and it will outspeed everything it needs to while still doing a lot of damage. Overheat when you get low on health.

I'm no fan of moves that require multiple turns to use, with a couple exceptions. Focus Punch is not one of them, seeing as one hit means a waste of a move. And as for the Blissey/Heatran switch... do that many people actually use them?

Tyranitar is a versatile Pokemon. You can use CB, Scarf, Mixed, Support, Tank, DD, and even Specs sets. A physical set seems best for this team. Choice Band doesn't require setup at all but prediction is a must. I'd go with Pursuit/Crunch/Stone Edge and either EQ or Aqua Tail.

Also, choice items. Don't you think it kinda lowers the versatility of a pokemon if its moves are limited?

Espeon is outclassed as an all-out attacker by Alakazam, Gengar, and Azelf. If you still want to use her, a Specs or CM @ Life Orb set is best. HP Fire could be fit on that set over Signal Beam for Scizor, who will love switching in. Max Speed and Special Attack, and try for a Timid nature. If you want, you can give her a Scarf, in which case she should be Modest. Trick is another great option to cripple a difficult opponent.

Modest is what I'm going for. About that life orb. I'm not sure if I'm right on this but Espeon isn't one of those Pokemon known for defense of any kind. I would consider it over-risky to use an item that would boost my attacks at the cost of much needed HP.

If you're willing to take a break from hyper-offense, you could try a Light Screen/Reflect/Wish/Filler @ Light Clay set. This is great support for your other sweepers. It needs max HP and Speed. Azelf does this better, though.

I don't use legends.

Houndoom is a decent special attacker. There are better options but none have the exact coverage he does. Dark Pulse/Flamethrower/HP Grass (or Ice)/Nasty Plot @ Life Orb seems to be the best set to go with. Max Speed and SAttk, and use a Timid nature.

What's this HP Grass thing you keep mentioning?

There's a reason Scizor is the current #1 OU. It definitely needs Bullet Punch, and I would put Pursuit and Superpower over Night Slash and Aerial Ace. U-Turn could be worked in there too for a scouting move that does bonus damage. Life Orb or Choice Band are great items. Adamant is the perfect nature, and Scizor should have max Attk, 244 HP, and 12 Spd to outspeed everything trying to outspeed it.

Bullet Punch. Noted. I'm not so sure about the speed thing, since Scizor's have crap speed. Or at least, not exactly speed that can outspeed something else.

Gyarados doesn't really do well without some setup. Dragon Dance is a must, and then you have five options: Waterfall, Earthquake, Ice Fang, Stone Edge, and Taunt. Waterfall gets good STAB, Earthquake hits Steels coming in to wall and Electrics trying to sneak in too. Stone Edge hits things like Zapdos, and Ice Fang is a more reliable option for flyers and nails Salamence and Latias. Taunt is to ensure you can set up on supporters like Skarmory or Blissey.

Hmm, okay. I see what your saying. Waterfall is definite. I'll think about the others. Taunt... um, I don't know.

One thing to note is your massive Ground, Water, and Rock weaknesses. You're definitely going to have to replace some Pokemon. My suggestions are Houndoom and possibly Espeon. Latias, Azelf, and Breloom are good candidates for the spots. It's up to you.

Again, I don't use legends. And I'm no fan of grass types. But I'll copy your ideas into my larger document and figure it out from there. Thank you for your help.

@Missingno

I see what your saying. I'll make certain the suggestion is taken into account. I do agree with the stealth rock thing.

 

[Nanoka-kun]

choice items aren't that bad if you aren't arena trapped, magnet pulled or mean looked. You always have the option of switching out just to use a new move.

as for espeon I would go timid 252 spAtk 252 spe
why? because speed is key i don't think calm mind helps with speed but it helps with spatk and i can't think of a move that helps spatk + speed like dragon dance for phys sweepers.

as for hp grass it's hidden power grass check your pokemon's ivs to see if you have it. it depends on your pokemon's iv spread o,O

love that last set for gyarados

DD
waterfull STAB
EQ
taunt personally i would go with stone edge just because if you taunt and wanna switch to a support the other person can switch using the turn you are. but it would be awesome to taunt their supporter into mass SR or mass DD or SD lol

 

[DerMißingno]

With respect Ryuutakesh!, you posted your team here to get suggestions on its improvement. Things like set up moves, choice band and specs, life orb, and focus punch are tried and true battle styles. There is a reason the best battlers don't just load up all of their pokemon with all-out attacking moves. You have to be open to trying some of these things. If you haven't already, get Shoddy Battle and see what works there.

Hell, when I posted my team here, I ended up replacing 5 out of 6 members!

And yes, Blissey and Heatran are extremely common. If someone thinks that your Typhlosion has only special attacks, they will switch in a Blissey or Heatran, which would force you to switch if you didn't have focus punch.

 

[Falconwing]

I get that, and I understand that you are trying to help and all. And I have nothing against the life orb. I just don't think think a pokemon with low hp to begin with and no defense to back it up should have one. But I've used Focus Punch in the past and while I'm sure some people may be able to pull it off, it has never worked well for me. I'm pretty sure I could find numerous other moves that are just as effective that don't have the limitation of Focus Punch.

As for the choice items, since it seems I don't get those at all, can someone please explain them to me?

And I'm confused about that last paragraph. My Typhlosion wouldn't really have all special moves. As I said, I'd have a better selection and variety if I went with physical moves, as apposed to a limitation on special moves.

 

[Nanoka-kun]

I get that, and I understand that you are trying to help and all. And I have nothing against the life orb. I just don't think think a pokemon with low hp to begin with and no defense to back it up should have one. But I've used Focus Punch in the past and while I'm sure some people may be able to pull it off, it has never worked well for me. I'm pretty sure I could find numerous other moves that are just as effective that don't have the limitation of Focus Punch.

As for the choice items, since it seems I don't get those at all, can someone please explain them to me?

And I'm confused about that last paragraph. My Typhlosion wouldn't really have all special moves. As I said, I'd have a better selection and variety if I went with physical moves, as apposed to a limitation on special moves.

hey dude it's alright i am a bit new to this whole thing myself and from the battles with freddi, jimi, blaze, vasili i learned a couple of things

nature + EV training = Very important
team synergy + balance = important

so a good team should have

wall physical wall
metagross can act as physical wall and an attacker

physical sweep
salamence, garchomp, gyarados, sd lucario, dd kingdra, infernape,
etc.

spec sweep
gengar, starmie, togekiss, azelf, lucario again, salamence again, alakazam etc.

special wall
blissey, umbreon, bronzong,

optional (spiker, SR set up, taunter)
skarmory, metagross, aerodactyle, tentacruel, swampert, foretress many more

revenge killer
weavile, scizor, lucario, dugtrio

optional (a lead passer)
calm mind passer, curse passer, DD passer, SD passer
ninjask yanmega

annoyer (optional)
confuse ray, will-o-wisp, thunderwave, toxic, hypnosis

 

[DerMißingno]

I get that, and I understand that you are trying to help and all. And I have nothing against the life orb. I just don't think think a pokemon with low hp to begin with and no defense to back it up should have one. But I've used Focus Punch in the past and while I'm sure some people may be able to pull it off, it has never worked well for me. I'm pretty sure I could find numerous other moves that are just as effective that don't have the limitation of Focus Punch.

I understand where your skepticism comes from. The reasoning behind life orb on Espeon is that regardless of what he does or holds (unless it's a focus sash), he's probably getting taken out in one hit anyway. Therefore there's no reason not to go for the power boost with life orb anyway.

Focus punch is often paired with substitute, but in this case you would have to rely on prediction. If you can pull it off on a switch in, your pokemon won't lose focus because it won't get hit.

As for the choice items, since it seems I don't get those at all, can someone please explain them to me?

While choice items limit your pokemon by locking it into a move, they give an extremely significant power boost. They are used to increase coverage by allowing your pokemon to have 4 offensive moves, when it would otherwise need a boosting move such as dragon dance or swords dance to get the power it needs. The fact that it locks you in simply means you have to predict a little bit.

 

[Falconwing]

Focus punch is often paired with substitute, but in this case you would have to rely on prediction. If you can pull it off on a switch in, your pokemon won't lose focus because it won't get hit.


While choice items limit your pokemon by locking it into a move, they give an extremely significant power boost. They are used to increase coverage by allowing your pokemon to have 4 offensive moves, when it would otherwise need a boosting move such as dragon dance or swords dance to get the power it needs. The fact that it locks you in simply means you have to predict a little bit.

Ah I see. But the issue is, both your suggestion above are heavily based of prediction, something I've never been good with. My style is more of the "prepare for the worst, hope for the best," kinda thing. So, I could try for putting in a focus Punch before they switch out, but I'd rather not leave it to luck like that.

As for the choice items... actually, I do see potential in them. I will make certain to mark the idea down.

As for the life orb... I'll consider it.

 

[Nanoka-kun]

Ah I see. But the issue is, both your suggestion above are heavily based of prediction, something I've never been good with. My style is more of the "prepare for the worst, hope for the best," kinda thing. So, I could try for putting in a focus Punch before they switch out, but I'd rather not leave it to luck like that.

As for the choice items... actually, I do see potential in them. I will make certain to mark the idea down.

As for the life orb... I'll consider it.

hey look noone really knows how its gonna work out just battle one of us and you will see for yourself what weakness you have.

 

[Falconwing]

hey look noone really knows how its gonna work out just battle one of us and you will see for yourself what weakness you have.

Okay. Wait a few months and it might actually happen. My funds are currently in lockdown.

 

[DerMißingno]

Ah I see. But the issue is, both your suggestion above are heavily based of prediction, something I've never been good with. My style is more of the "prepare for the worst, hope for the best," kinda thing. So, I could try for putting in a focus Punch before they switch out, but I'd rather not leave it to luck like that.

As for the choice items... actually, I do see potential in them. I will make certain to mark the idea down.

As for the life orb... I'll consider it.

Well if you really don't think Focus Punch will work, you could go with Brick Break. It'll give you half the power, probably allowing your Chansey or Heatran to set up or throw out an attack. You could go Earthquake and get a guaranteed KO on Heatran.

The sad truth is, prediction is just a fundamental part of pokemon, and you're going to have to do it to some extent no matter what strategy you use.

If you haven't done so already, use Shoddy Battle. It's probably the most user friendly programs I've ever used, and it helps out a lot. You can put in the set that you want and put in the modified set with the suggestions, and see which one works better. If your set nets you more wins, then great, keep it.