NoirGrimoir
Girl with the Ghosts
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2012
- Messages
- 2,435
- Reaction score
- 1,170
Hey everyone, I've got a team I've been using a while and I've ironed out a lot of the kinks. I've had a lot of success (I'd say I win about 90% of the time against IV-trained teams! Pretty good, neh?) but I've noticed some things that really throw a wedge in my dynamics and I want advice on how to approach them, either by changing things up in terms of moves or strategy or even replacing a pokemon or two. Well, I'll introduce the team first and talk about the problems after.
Scolipede (F)
@ Black Sludge
Adamant nature|Speed Boost ability
252 Spe/Atk, 4 HP EVs
Moves:
~ Megahorn
~ Baton Pass
~ Spikes
~ Poison Jab
My Scolipede (Noxious) is usually the pokemon I lead with unless I see a compelling reason not to. It's speed is awesome and rarely comes out second. Usually I come out with her and take stock: if it seems like she can tank a hit or the person is likely to switch, I lay down some spikes, get a speed boost and baton pass it on to whatever I switch in next. otherwise I Baton Pass out ont he first turn and am usually first out. It's also excellent as an attacker and Poison Jab is useful for taking out common Fairies while Megahorn is bad news for Psychic and Dark types. Her defense is quite good against anything that isn't super effective as well, so she's pretty sturdy, unlike many fast pokemon. Black Sludge helps her heal off any damage she does manage to get pretty well, and she's usually in and out the whole game, passing off speed boosts.
Goodra (F)
@ Leftovers
Calm nature | Gooey ability
248 HP, 8 SpA, 252 SpD EVs
Moves:
~ Dragon Pulse
~ Flamethrower
~ Thunderbolt
~ Dragon tail
My Goodra (Tapioca) is an essential part of my team and takes special attacks like a boss. Even super effective moves don't even put her into the yellow. She works great for sponging up moves, so I often switch into her if it looks like the opponent is going to lay down some special moves and she shrugs it off like no one's business. Her special attack is so-so, and she's pretty slow, but she can afford to hang around for 2KOs or 3KOs, and thunderbolt and flamethrower maker her versatile with Dragon Pulse as STAB and Dragon tail to get rid of anything that looks like it's going to be a pain. Often I switch into her on the Baton Pass from my Scolipede so she gets a speed boost and anything hitting her physically gets taken down a notch with Gooey too, so as far as speed goes it's never been a problem for her.
Mawile
@ Mawilite
Adamant nature | Intimidate ability
132 HP, 252 Atk, 124 Spe EVs
Moves:
~ Sucker Punch
~ Play Rough
~ Swords Dance
~ Iron Head
I love my Mawile (named Coronet). I feel like mawile is really underused in the metagame from what I've seen (I basically never have to go against one) and I'm just fine with that. For some reason no one ever seems to see her coming, lol. I often switch into her on dragon moves or as a revenge killer. Intimidate lowers the opponents attack and then she mega evolves and becomes a hard-hitting killing machine and her Fairy/Steel type means she's damn near invulnerable to anything that isn't named Earthquake or Fire Blast. I use her as a physical sponge if I need to, but her lack of HP does make that something I don't like to do much in case something unexpected gets thrown at her. If I really need to kill something off fast, even without set-up she can usually pull a 1KO with Sucker Punch, but if I can afford to, I will do a Swords Dance and then the opponent is really in trouble. She absolutely murders dragons. Sometimes I get locked into Sucker Punch Mind Games with faster opponents, but I'm patient and she has 8 PP with it so I usually win through in those instances. She's a great Fairy Killer too, because Moonblast barely puts her into the yellow and Iron Head is always a 1KO. Even Xerneas dies in one hit. Even though she's slow, it's rarely a problem and I usually switch out before it becomes one.
Togekiss (M)
@ Rocky Helmet
Bold nature | Serene Grace ability
248 HP, 252 Def, 8 Spe
Moves:
~ Roost
~ Air Slash
~ Nasty Plot
~ Dazzling Gleam
Togekiss (Prince) is my newest addition to the team but he's proven a great asset. His great defense is an awesome switch-in physical sponge and I think he really frustrates people, lol. He is also the only thing I've got that is immune to Earthquake, which was mainly what I was thinking when I picked him to join. Something sturdy and Earthquake resistant. He's great against dragons, and can even take Rock Throws and Stone Edges to an extent. It's awesome to have the opponent start to finally whittle him down and then he pulls a Roost and is as good as new! He's slow, but hardy so it's usually not a problem, and if I can I Baton Pass a Speed Boost to him, which helps. I have to be careful around things that might have Thunderbolt or Icebeam but as long as it's not STAB he can soak it up enough for it not to be fatal. Nasty Plot makes his moves hurt pretty bad and he can usually even manage to set up too, and Rocky Helmet is surprisingly great on him because he can do damage while tanking hits, even if he uses the move to heal off damage with roost! Often people switch out to save their pokemon from braining themselves ont he Rocky Helmet tyrign to kill him, lol. I've had bad luck with Air Slash though (60% flinch my ass), so I'm thinking of substituting it for something else.
Starmie
@ Life Orb
Timid nature | Natural Cure ability
252 SpA/ Spe, 4 SpD
Moves:
~ Thunderbolt
~ Ice Beam
~ Surf
~ Rapid Spin
My Starmie (Asteros) is a great hard hitter, and fast as hell. Flyers, Fire-Types, Dragons and even Grass types hate her. Life Orb boosted attacks are almost always 1KOs and I often it use for if I need to beat something fast that isn't Thunderus or Jolteon. It's kind of fragile and hates Sucker Punches, but fast enough to out-speed most of the former and I know better than to toss it out on the latter. It's generally reliable and has been known to sweep, and stupid moves on the opponents part, like switching in grass types are rewarded with Ice beams and the like, since it's so fast it can afford to stay in on just about anything and hit first before that fatal move can take it out. I hate Recover on it for a while, but it proved kind of pointless, so I switched it up with Rapid Spin for a Just-In-Case situation, though Entry Hazards haven't been much of a problem for me even when I let them hang around. When I do need it, it's there, though.
Aegislash (M)
@ Spooky Plate
Quiet nature | Stance Change ability
252 HP/SpA, 4 Atk
Moves:
~ King's Shield
~ Shadow Sneak
~ Shadowball
~ Sacred Sword
Last but certainly not least, my amazing, stupendous Aegislash (Gladius). I love him. He can tank hits and King's Shield makes itself a menace to no end for opponents. He can stay in on anything with King's Shield and helps me feel a pokemon out while dodging Sucker Punches and lowering attack to boot. His main form of attack is Shadow Ball which hits really hard. Sacred Sword is mostly for Normal types and he has the distinction of being the only pokemon on my team that has a super effective move against them. Shadow Sneak is to get the first move in, usually as a finisher. His low speed is helpful rather than the reverse, because it lets him stay in Defense mode to tank hits and switch into the more vulnerable attack mode only after. Alternating King's Shield and attacks is the main strategy with him, and it's proven top notch. He can also Spin-block but he usually doesn't have to and his Steel type can let him take shrug off just about anything. Even special attacks usually won't get him into the yellow. He's just great.
Anyway, that's the team and how I use them. We generally do well, but there are just a few issues I've noticed against certain pokemon.
Firstly, Black Sludge Gengar. Not Mega Gengar, that thing dies like no one's business, but Black Sludge holding Substitute-Shadowball-Sludge Bomb-Thunderbolt Gengar. Basically he's just too fast with that substitute and heals it off immediately with black sludge. It has trouble killing my pokemon off, but I also can't kill it off. Starmie is weak to it's Shadow ball and Scolipede isn't great against Special attacks, and nothing else is fast enough to hit it before it can throw up a substitute.
Secondly Dark Void Smeargle. Someone came at me with this thing the other day and I was like, what the hell? Other things on the team gave me problems but this thing was the start. It's a Speed EVs Smeargle with Dark Void, Sticky Web, Thunderwave and Stealth rock. Basically the Dark Void puts my pokemon to sleep and he proceeds to set up entry hazards and periodically comes back in to paralyse my pokemon. I started off with my Scolipede WHICH IT OUTSPED, and I didn't bother to change out since I figured it would Dark Void my whole team if I did that. And obviously that wouldn't be good. I think if I battled it again I might pull out Starmie and see if it could outspeed the thing, but I'm not confident it could.
I'm also not sure about certain moves my pokemon have currently. As I said, Air Slash on my Togekiss. It never freaking flinches like it's supposed to (It does for other people, am I just unlucky? Whatever,) and for a STAB it still doesn't feel powerful, even with boosts. Also Sacred Sword on my Aegislash. Most Normal types are Physically Defensive so it just doesn't do much since he has no Attack investment. I'm considering changing to a Special attack that would do more damage, (but what?)
Well any advice would be great. Also if you want to battle me feel free to ask, just don't cry if you lose! ;P
Scolipede (F)
@ Black Sludge
Adamant nature|Speed Boost ability
252 Spe/Atk, 4 HP EVs
Moves:
~ Megahorn
~ Baton Pass
~ Spikes
~ Poison Jab
My Scolipede (Noxious) is usually the pokemon I lead with unless I see a compelling reason not to. It's speed is awesome and rarely comes out second. Usually I come out with her and take stock: if it seems like she can tank a hit or the person is likely to switch, I lay down some spikes, get a speed boost and baton pass it on to whatever I switch in next. otherwise I Baton Pass out ont he first turn and am usually first out. It's also excellent as an attacker and Poison Jab is useful for taking out common Fairies while Megahorn is bad news for Psychic and Dark types. Her defense is quite good against anything that isn't super effective as well, so she's pretty sturdy, unlike many fast pokemon. Black Sludge helps her heal off any damage she does manage to get pretty well, and she's usually in and out the whole game, passing off speed boosts.
Goodra (F)
@ Leftovers
Calm nature | Gooey ability
248 HP, 8 SpA, 252 SpD EVs
Moves:
~ Dragon Pulse
~ Flamethrower
~ Thunderbolt
~ Dragon tail
My Goodra (Tapioca) is an essential part of my team and takes special attacks like a boss. Even super effective moves don't even put her into the yellow. She works great for sponging up moves, so I often switch into her if it looks like the opponent is going to lay down some special moves and she shrugs it off like no one's business. Her special attack is so-so, and she's pretty slow, but she can afford to hang around for 2KOs or 3KOs, and thunderbolt and flamethrower maker her versatile with Dragon Pulse as STAB and Dragon tail to get rid of anything that looks like it's going to be a pain. Often I switch into her on the Baton Pass from my Scolipede so she gets a speed boost and anything hitting her physically gets taken down a notch with Gooey too, so as far as speed goes it's never been a problem for her.
Mawile
@ Mawilite
Adamant nature | Intimidate ability
132 HP, 252 Atk, 124 Spe EVs
Moves:
~ Sucker Punch
~ Play Rough
~ Swords Dance
~ Iron Head
I love my Mawile (named Coronet). I feel like mawile is really underused in the metagame from what I've seen (I basically never have to go against one) and I'm just fine with that. For some reason no one ever seems to see her coming, lol. I often switch into her on dragon moves or as a revenge killer. Intimidate lowers the opponents attack and then she mega evolves and becomes a hard-hitting killing machine and her Fairy/Steel type means she's damn near invulnerable to anything that isn't named Earthquake or Fire Blast. I use her as a physical sponge if I need to, but her lack of HP does make that something I don't like to do much in case something unexpected gets thrown at her. If I really need to kill something off fast, even without set-up she can usually pull a 1KO with Sucker Punch, but if I can afford to, I will do a Swords Dance and then the opponent is really in trouble. She absolutely murders dragons. Sometimes I get locked into Sucker Punch Mind Games with faster opponents, but I'm patient and she has 8 PP with it so I usually win through in those instances. She's a great Fairy Killer too, because Moonblast barely puts her into the yellow and Iron Head is always a 1KO. Even Xerneas dies in one hit. Even though she's slow, it's rarely a problem and I usually switch out before it becomes one.
Togekiss (M)
@ Rocky Helmet
Bold nature | Serene Grace ability
248 HP, 252 Def, 8 Spe
Moves:
~ Roost
~ Air Slash
~ Nasty Plot
~ Dazzling Gleam
Togekiss (Prince) is my newest addition to the team but he's proven a great asset. His great defense is an awesome switch-in physical sponge and I think he really frustrates people, lol. He is also the only thing I've got that is immune to Earthquake, which was mainly what I was thinking when I picked him to join. Something sturdy and Earthquake resistant. He's great against dragons, and can even take Rock Throws and Stone Edges to an extent. It's awesome to have the opponent start to finally whittle him down and then he pulls a Roost and is as good as new! He's slow, but hardy so it's usually not a problem, and if I can I Baton Pass a Speed Boost to him, which helps. I have to be careful around things that might have Thunderbolt or Icebeam but as long as it's not STAB he can soak it up enough for it not to be fatal. Nasty Plot makes his moves hurt pretty bad and he can usually even manage to set up too, and Rocky Helmet is surprisingly great on him because he can do damage while tanking hits, even if he uses the move to heal off damage with roost! Often people switch out to save their pokemon from braining themselves ont he Rocky Helmet tyrign to kill him, lol. I've had bad luck with Air Slash though (60% flinch my ass), so I'm thinking of substituting it for something else.
Starmie
@ Life Orb
Timid nature | Natural Cure ability
252 SpA/ Spe, 4 SpD
Moves:
~ Thunderbolt
~ Ice Beam
~ Surf
~ Rapid Spin
My Starmie (Asteros) is a great hard hitter, and fast as hell. Flyers, Fire-Types, Dragons and even Grass types hate her. Life Orb boosted attacks are almost always 1KOs and I often it use for if I need to beat something fast that isn't Thunderus or Jolteon. It's kind of fragile and hates Sucker Punches, but fast enough to out-speed most of the former and I know better than to toss it out on the latter. It's generally reliable and has been known to sweep, and stupid moves on the opponents part, like switching in grass types are rewarded with Ice beams and the like, since it's so fast it can afford to stay in on just about anything and hit first before that fatal move can take it out. I hate Recover on it for a while, but it proved kind of pointless, so I switched it up with Rapid Spin for a Just-In-Case situation, though Entry Hazards haven't been much of a problem for me even when I let them hang around. When I do need it, it's there, though.
Aegislash (M)
@ Spooky Plate
Quiet nature | Stance Change ability
252 HP/SpA, 4 Atk
Moves:
~ King's Shield
~ Shadow Sneak
~ Shadowball
~ Sacred Sword
Last but certainly not least, my amazing, stupendous Aegislash (Gladius). I love him. He can tank hits and King's Shield makes itself a menace to no end for opponents. He can stay in on anything with King's Shield and helps me feel a pokemon out while dodging Sucker Punches and lowering attack to boot. His main form of attack is Shadow Ball which hits really hard. Sacred Sword is mostly for Normal types and he has the distinction of being the only pokemon on my team that has a super effective move against them. Shadow Sneak is to get the first move in, usually as a finisher. His low speed is helpful rather than the reverse, because it lets him stay in Defense mode to tank hits and switch into the more vulnerable attack mode only after. Alternating King's Shield and attacks is the main strategy with him, and it's proven top notch. He can also Spin-block but he usually doesn't have to and his Steel type can let him take shrug off just about anything. Even special attacks usually won't get him into the yellow. He's just great.
Anyway, that's the team and how I use them. We generally do well, but there are just a few issues I've noticed against certain pokemon.
Firstly, Black Sludge Gengar. Not Mega Gengar, that thing dies like no one's business, but Black Sludge holding Substitute-Shadowball-Sludge Bomb-Thunderbolt Gengar. Basically he's just too fast with that substitute and heals it off immediately with black sludge. It has trouble killing my pokemon off, but I also can't kill it off. Starmie is weak to it's Shadow ball and Scolipede isn't great against Special attacks, and nothing else is fast enough to hit it before it can throw up a substitute.
Secondly Dark Void Smeargle. Someone came at me with this thing the other day and I was like, what the hell? Other things on the team gave me problems but this thing was the start. It's a Speed EVs Smeargle with Dark Void, Sticky Web, Thunderwave and Stealth rock. Basically the Dark Void puts my pokemon to sleep and he proceeds to set up entry hazards and periodically comes back in to paralyse my pokemon. I started off with my Scolipede WHICH IT OUTSPED, and I didn't bother to change out since I figured it would Dark Void my whole team if I did that. And obviously that wouldn't be good. I think if I battled it again I might pull out Starmie and see if it could outspeed the thing, but I'm not confident it could.
I'm also not sure about certain moves my pokemon have currently. As I said, Air Slash on my Togekiss. It never freaking flinches like it's supposed to (It does for other people, am I just unlucky? Whatever,) and for a STAB it still doesn't feel powerful, even with boosts. Also Sacred Sword on my Aegislash. Most Normal types are Physically Defensive so it just doesn't do much since he has no Attack investment. I'm considering changing to a Special attack that would do more damage, (but what?)
Well any advice would be great. Also if you want to battle me feel free to ask, just don't cry if you lose! ;P
