Rate my main team

[Rick]

Originaly planned to be used exclusively for battle facilities, I'm now trying to use this team against other players (in Showdown, I don't own a 3DS). I wanted to build a team that could work decently, while at the same time using Pokémon that I like. I didn't want to include Pokémon X because "it's better than Y" and etc...
I also tried my best to make it useable in more than one battle mode, instead of just Singles or just Doubles, for example.
So, that being said...

Rapidash ♀

Item: Leftovers
Nature: Adamant (+Atk|-Sp.A)
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Moveset

• Flare Blitz
• Bounce
• Mega-Horn
• Drill Run

Physical Attacker. Mega-Horn is here because I can't keep using Flare Blitz due to recoil, and Drill Run is for coverage. Bounce is used for a free leftovers recovery (and eventually avoid a predicted move). Flash Fire for obvious reasons, and Adamant nature because I can out-speed most Pokémon already, and want to be sure I'll deal the most damage as possible.

Magnezone

Item: Shell Bell
Nature: Modest (+Sp.A|-Atk)
Ability: Analytics
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Sp.A / 4 Sp.D
Moveset

• Lock On
• Zap Cannon
• Flash Cannon
• Volt Switch

Special Attacker, and also bulky enough to take some hits. Analytics is to compensate the low Speed, and Shell Bell is to recover some of the damage it will take from the opponent's move, which will probably go first. Lock On is to make sure Zap Cannon won't miss, although I'll use it without Locking if I feel lucky enough. Flash Cannon is meant as a secondary STAB, and Volt Switch is meant for a free switch since the opponent's move will hit Magnezone before it switches out, instead of hitting the incoming Pokémon.

Lapras ♀

Item: Damp Rock
Nature: Calm (+Sp.D|-Atk)
Ability: Hidration
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Sp.D / 4 Spe
Moveset

• Rain Dance
• Whirlpool
• Perish Song
• Rest

Special Wall and Perish Trapper. This one is prety obvious... too much, unfortunately. Whirpool is to prevent the enemy from escaping the Perish Song... and despite what people say, it actually deals a decent damage under the Rain. Rest in conjunction with Hidration provides a full restore. I opted for choosing a Damp Rock instead of Grip Claw because Whirlpool's minimum duration is 4 turns while Perish Song takes 3 turns, so it's almost always enough, and with extra turns in Rain Dance I can use it for Dragonair's Thunder once Perish Song is over. Also, if I see it won't last long enough, I can simply use a second Whirlpool. I may be mistaken, but I think the trapping effect is refreshed each time you use it, but let me know if I'm wrong... :uhoh:

Scyther ♂

Item: Eviolite
Nature: Jolly (+Spe|-Sp.A)
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Spe / 4 Atk
Moveset

• X-Scissor
• Swords Dance
• Double Team
• Baton Pass

Used primarily as a Baton Passer, even though a boosted X-Scissor can deal a lot of damage if needed. Usually start with Double Team for trying to avoid damage while I set up, and then pass the boosts for a partner (usually Rapidash, although I can just pass the Double Teams for anyone else). Eviolite
is to increase the low defenses. Primarily used for Singles. Baton Passers won't work very well in other modes.

Dragonair ♀

Item: Zoom Lens
Nature: Modest (+Sp.A|-Atk)
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Sp.A / 4 Spe
Moveset

• Dragon Pulse
• Fire Blast
• Thunder
• Blizzard

Special Attacker. Dragon Pulse for reliable STAB, Fire Blast for coverage against ice, Blizzard for the diversity of types it is effective against, and Thunder as coverage against water, which Rapidash is weak and has no coverage (it also can't miss in the Rain, so it somewhat have a synergy with Lapras. I know what people will say: "Dragonair is Physical attacker, not Special". Honestly, I don't see much use for Dragonair in it's physical movepool. You may also find strange that I'm using an item that probably nobody uses. But I also don't want to become too predictable in my movesets. At least if people think my Dragonair is Physical (which is the most common), I have an element of surprise. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it failed. I was also thinking about using it as a Para-shuffler with Dragon Tail and Thunder-Wave but, in the end, I decided for this one.

Tropius ♂

Item: Sitrus Berry
Nature: Bold (+Def|-Atk)
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Moveset

• Substitute
• Leech Seed
• Sunny Day
• Solar Beam

Physical Wall and Sub-Seeder. It has Sunny Day to combo with his ability, and Solar Beam as a STAB so that I won't relay solely on the Leech Seed's damage. Also, it will probably attract Fire types, where I can use Rapidash to switch in and toggle Flash Fire, plus it will be boosted by Sunny Day; or, in case it attracts an Ice types, which is worse, I can switch into Lapras which resists it prety well. Used a lot in Rotation Battles.

Now, the issues I'm having with this team:
1- I have to play this team that is mostly UU in an OU scenario, because of the Tiers Rule. Almost anyone experient enough with a full team of OU pokémon will have the upper hand, because their pokémon will be able to do the same and better due to the higher stats.
2- Guess I can't do anything about this one but, when using Lapras, people seem to predict exactly when I'm gonna use Rest, and use that to switch or either set up. Alternatively, it looks like most are already familiarized with Perish Trapping and simply switch out before I can trap them. Even worse when they bring a Spinner, but I'm also not expecting it to have no counters.
3- Vulnerable to entry hazards, especially Stealth Rock. It's super effective against four Pokémon on my team (Rapidash, Lapras, Scyther and tropius) and is resisted only by Magnezone.

Tell me your toughts about this, I accept criticism. Just have in mind that I'm still very green in competitives, especially my prediction skills (usually end up over-predicting, or simply forget about prediction)... :sweatlol:

 

[sharkshocker]

Hi there, before we delve into specifics I'll give some general suggestions to help you work on the team going forward

- It's good that you're familiar with the tiers in Smogon though separate the mindset that anything on a higher tier is strictly better. It's true that those in higher tiers are more used (which is the basis of the tiering) but that doesn't mean it won't lose out to a team such as yours, it also depends on the skill/experience of the trainer using it. If you get the hang of using your team and figure out how to play against the common threats in battle then that can help you do well with the team. On the opposite side of that, it's good that you also understand that your Pokemon may be lacking against certain Pokemon since it's good to keep an open mind when working on and understanding your team.

- Focus your team on one battle format, as much as possible. I understand that you want your team to work in different settings but trying to spread out your team's potential will just end up with the team not faring well on all fronts. As you mentioned some of your strategies do not work in Doubles so trying to make your team fit in that format already gives you a handicap going into the battle.

- Understand the strengths/weaknesses of your Pokemon, and of your team. You've sorta touched up on each Pokemon so work on knowing how much they can handle, and in what situations troubles them. Once you get a better feel of your team that can help you work on your prediction and helping you understand how to change the flow of battle to your advantage, as well as which moves/Pokemon aren't working out.

Looking at the team, here's some things to observe:
- Your team has some shared weaknesses that are common offensive types in battling: Ground (Rapidash, Magnezone), Fire (Magnezone, Scyther, Tropius), and Ice (Scyther, Dragonair, Tropius). And as you mentioned 4/6 of the team is weak to Stealth Rock, which is a very common move in the Singles format. The team will have trouble once Stealth Rock is up and you are on the defensive, as you would be forced to choose between staying in on a bad matchup or to switch out and be worn down by entry hazards :/
- The movesets on your Pokemon are a bit narrow. Besides Rapidash and Dragonair, most of your Pokemon are limited to one offensive type which can your opponent openings to change things to their favor. The effect of Lock-On is nullified if the opponent switches out so they can work around it as well. Try checking Bulbapedia to read up on possible options that they can use. For example Magnezone might be better off with Discharge as it has 100% accuracy, a fairly high chance of paralysis, and can hit multiple opponents.
- Understand what your Pokemon can do and try to maximize on those aspects. Look into battle items and moves that you can use to help you increase the effectiveness of the team. Dragonair's moveset is a bit of a gamble in exchange for extra power, but you can try looking into 100% accuracy moves and giving him a damage-increasing item (Choice Specs, Life Orb) and try to see how it fits into your team. You can look into evolving Dragonair or Scyther and see if that fits your style...Scyther/Scizor has access to the move Defog which can help you deal with entry hazards.
- Establish more cohesion between the team and find solutions to things that cause trouble for you. Right now you're using two different weather effects (sun and rain) which don't necessarily mesh well with Dragonair, as Thunder's accuracy in the sun becomes 50%. The sunlight would also make Fire-type moves hit harder, and with half of your team weak to Fire that might end up going against you. Getting a grasp of your team's weaknesses will let you plan and improve on them so you can have prepared answers (Pokemon, moves, items, etc) when you go into battle.

Sorry that it got a bit long-winded and if it's not as specific as you wanted, since you're new to competitive battling I feel that understanding the bigger picture first is a good place to start. You're already recognizing what your team can and cannot do and that's good, some things you'll just learn from experience so I hope you keep at it. Hope this helps, and let me know if there's anything I can clarify

 

[Rick]

Text walls don't bother me. Thank you! ;-)

I'll try Dragonair with a Life Orb, since I've never been a huge fan of Choice items due to the locking.
As for scyther, I'll give a try to Defog (maybe replace for Double Team, attacks are still landing alot). I might try Scizor, even though I don't think it fits the role of a Baton Passer so well due to the lower speed, but since it only has 1 weakness to Fire that I can counter with Flash Fire, who knows... :-/

 

[sharkshocker]

Text walls don't bother me. Thank you! ;-)

I'll try Dragonair with a Life Orb, since I've never been a huge fan of Choice items due to the locking.
As for scyther, I'll give a try to Defog (maybe replace for Double Team, attacks are still landing alot). I might try Scizor, even though I don't think it fits the role of a Baton Passer so well due to the lower speed, but since it only has 1 weakness to Fire that I can counter with Flash Fire, who knows... :-/

Glad to help! Yeah Life Orb vs. Choice items have their own pros and cons so go with what you feel fits better with your style. Life Orb offers versatility in exchange for recoil damage, but if you manage to bring in a Choice attacker on a worn down opponent you can plow your way to the win

May I ask why you prefer Dragonair over Dragonite? I understand the additional weaknesses can be offputting but it gets a decent increase in its base stats which can help you out, as well as an ability that lets you withstand hits. As for Scizor over Scyther, if its priority is to be a Baton Passer you can weigh whether going first (Scyther) or second (Scizor) would be better for your Baton Pass recipient.

I also suggest doing battles with the team on Showdown so you can get a feel for the Pokemon and gain experience on how to use them. You can also spot which strategies work and which need improvement, so you can figure out a play style that lets you hold your own against your opponent.

 

[Rick]

Other that I really don't like Dragonite's concept, I try to avoid 4x weaknesses, which I already have one in Tropius. Initially, I was thinking about using eviolite in Dragonair for that. But then, you only get 1 eviolite in the game, and I need it for Scyther for Batton Passing. And in Showdown where you can do anything you want (kind of), there is usually the Item Clause that won't allow me to go with 2 of the same item anyways.

I still want to give a try on a Para-Shuffler set in Dragonair and see what works better, though. For Scyther, I'll try to use Defog in place of Double Team, and if I see 1 or 2 evasion reductions makes a significant difference when hitting attacks, I may find some use other than just getting rid of entry hazards. After that, I'll probably do an update, cause I think I'm changing a few things in some movesets...

 

[sharkshocker]

I believe that in OU Singles (which is commonly used in Showdown) there is no Item Clause so you would be free to use 2 Eviolites if you want, as well as with Smogon Doubles. However the VGC format still follows Item Clause. On the flip side of that, you cannot use Double Team in both OU Singles and Doubles because of the Evasion clause while it is allowed in VGC.

If it's fine with you you can also share some of your replays with the team so we can observe the team in action and give pointers where we can help.

 

[Rick]

Alright, I brought the Replays. Not from every battle.
These are also with the changes to the builds: Grip Claw for Lapras (seriously, people where still managing to switch in the last turn :disgust, Defog for Scyther, and Dragonair's role changed to Para-Shuffler, although I'm still undecided about this one.

Singles:
Vs. PkmRoward (Win)
Vs. PkmRoward (Loss)
Vs. Lefrye (Overwelming loss!! )
Vs. Okally (Win)
Vs. Cerule (Win)

Doubles: (Have to do more doubles, the vast majority were Singles, which are supposedly easier)
Vs. Cyrill & Kelly (Win... but starting at turn 23, you can skip to turn 78 or stop watching, because it was a stallfest to Struggle)
Vs. Psylex (Loss)

P.S.: Didn't find an Option to change the replay to my point of view instead of my opponent's, so I assume it's random... :-/

 

[sharkshocker]

These are also with the changes to the builds: Grip Claw for Lapras (seriously, people where still managing to switch in the last turn :disgust, Defog for Scyther, and Dragonair's role changed to Para-Shuffler, although I'm still undecided about this one.

Singles:
Vs. PkmRoward (Win)
Good movement with Tropius at the beginning but you can see how he has trouble going on the offense, not being able to KO Gengar who's not really built for bulk. You can try out Giga Drain over Solarbeam so you can get more recovery and won't have to rely on sun too much, or possibly Protect to help stall. Pretty normal battle from your side after that, the opponent makes a massive misplay on the end bringing in Togekiss on Magnezone.
Vs. PkmRoward (Loss)
You manage to get rid of rocks early but you can see here how the team has trouble with it, especially if your defogger takes 50% damage from the start. Opponent misplays bringing in Gengar on a STAB Flare Blitz and a minor hiccup there when you tried to go with Dragon Tail on Togekiss. The Electric/Ice coverage of your opponent's Raikou spelled trouble for you though :/
Vs. Lefrye (Overwelming loss!! )
When you see a lead like Forretress expect the opponent to lay down hazards, so a misplay there spending turns to hit it with Thunder Wave and opting for the Dragon Tail when it used Explosion. Conkeldurr does counter the team in a big way because of its Fighting STAB and access to elemental punches, so try to come up with a strategy against it. Keep a watch for your opponent's Ability to prevent errors like activating Zebstrika's Sap Sipper, though you were already on the defensive at that point and your remaining Pokemon had no weapons against an Electric type. I suggest widening your team's movepool to cover more elemental types.

Doubles: (Have to do more doubles, the vast majority were Singles, which are supposedly easier)
Vs. Psylex (Loss)
You can see here how Doubles battles play out differently, since you have to consider who to hit and the strategic value of Protect. You might have been better off hitting Volcarona with Whirlpool instead of the weakened Latias, as forcing a switch removes some of the momentum away from the opponent and lets you predict the switch and act accordingly. Not much to do against a boosted Volcarona with Pokemon weak against Fire, unfortunately. Taking the team to Doubles means making use of moves that hit multiple opponents (Discharge over Zap Cannon, you will not have time to set up a Lock-On and expect them to not use Protect next turn, or that Magnezone would survive that long) and making use of Protect yourself, but as mentioned before this doesn't necessarily help out in Singles.

I'll see if I can look through the other battles later but for now I took a look at some of the Singles matches and the non-stall Doubles.

I think that the team has a lot of predictable moves (e.g. Lock-On + Zap Cannon) which an opponent can read and use to their advantage. It can also improve on spreading out its movepool to increase damage and deal with threats, right now it feels more like 6 individual Pokemon bunched together rather than a cohesive team.

I strongly suggest focusing on one battle format so you can optimize your strategy rather than trying to make it fit on all modes (4 moves is not enough for that @_@) and so you can get used to working with them on a specific setting. If you would still like to play this team in different formats, then I advise having different movesets for each one so you can adapt.