I have a few days until the tournament starts and my team is locked in the Battle Box, so I figure I'll try grabbing some opinions and such before that happens.
Bear in mind, this is the Global Link tournament, so Smogon tiers don't apply. The rule in the tournament is Flat Rule Singles, Kalos Born, Kalos Dex, so I think Mewtwo, Yveltal and Xerneas are still allowed and will probably be used in excess.
That said, on with the team.
Exploud
Item: Choice Scarf
Nature: Modest
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SPA / 252 SPE
Moves:
~ Boomburst
~ Flamethrower
~ Surf
~ Ice Beam
With a base 140 STAB move that pierces Substitutes, Exploud has become a personal favorite. Typically reserved for my double or triple battles with a Normal Gem, I thought Choice Scarf was a better choice for the flat-rule format. With a speed of 235, if I'm doing my math correctly, that should put him on equal speed as an Adamant Talonflame's top speed of 351, barring priority. Of course, Boomburst is the go-to-move, but when resistance threatens I tried to select the rest of its moves to compensate for the most common likely occurrences like Scizor or Agislash.
Talonflame
Item: Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE
Moves:
~ Brave Bird
~ Flare Blitz
~ U-Turn
~ Steel Wing
I've seen builds that run Swords Dance, Roost or Tailwind, but for a flat-format I just don't see them being as viable. This raw-power build tries to round its coverage with any move types available, even so far as to cover any unlikely rock types with Steel Wing. U-turn allows for a switch in based on expected moves: to Greninja if expecting Psychic, Exploud or Kanga if Ghost, Mawile if Dragon or Agislash if Normal or Fighting. Of course, all depending if my prediction choice is even in the set of 3 for that match. Talonflame easily OHKO's popular contenders like Mewtwo without needing super-effective damage, especially with a Choice Band's power boost.
Greninja
Item: none
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE
Moves:
~ Acrobatics
~ Water Shuriken
~ Power-up Punch
~ Shadow Sneak
With a constantly changing type, STAB moves become inconsequential, giving more room to try different things. Water Shuriken and Shadow Sneak offer priority for finishing, or for changing type before an opponent gets to move, hoping for a resistance or immunity. Power-up Punch I typically use as a revenge-KO when it comes in on something that's near-fainted already, while Acrobatics sits as the go-to-powerhouse move, being Greninja's highest-damage physical attack available. Chosen physical build since the base stat isn't so far behind special that it is rendered useless, and that more people will probably expect Ice Beam or Grass Knot instead of Acrobatics.
Agislash
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Quiet
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPD
Moves:
~ Shadow Ball
~ King's Shield
~ Shadow Sneak
~ Flash Cannon
Again, I try to break away from expectations, having seen very few special Agislash in my match ups. I would have traded out Shadow Sneak for Hidden Power, but since her HP was Dark type there was really no point. I feel like this is probably pretty standard for an Agislash, just using Special STAB instead of physical, since the base stats are the same either way. The bulk and low speed help against opponents who try to use Trick Room, or who may end up throwing Sticky Web onto the field, since lowering an already-slow Pokemon's speed just doesn't bother me.
Kangaskhan
Item: Mega Stone
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Scrappy ~ Paternal Bond
EVs: 4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE
Moves:
~ Return
~ Earthquake
~ Power-up Punch
~ Sucker Punch
Again, what I feel is pretty much a standard. Jolly nature to outspeed rival Kangaskhan, as being placed in Smogon's Uber tier and being allowed in the April friendly will probably mean a lot of use. I opted out of Fake Out in favor of more coverage, and have heard some suggestion to using Dizzy Punch over Return for the confusion effect but thought the straight damage might be a better option. Sucker Punch still offers solid priority, while also enabling a solution to Agislash's King's Shield since it fails and doesn't make contact, if Earthquake seems too risky of an option for one reason or another (like Trick Room).
Mawile
Item: Mega Stone
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Intimidate ~ Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPD
Moves:
~ Iron Head
~ Play Rough
~ Power-up Punch
~ Sucker Punch
Intimidate picked for a possible lead-in, in case I need to switch right away due to bad match ups like Gliscor or Garchomp. While Swords Dance may work better for full-blown 6v6 matches, I feel as though raw setup moves lack the efficiancy that the Flat rule can demand of singles. Again, Sucker Punch helps against opposing Agislash, offering type coverage without risk of hitting the King's Shield. Normally I would not even include a second Mega Evolution, but since the Flat rule plays 3v3 matches I wanted to keep an option available to me.
Bear in mind, this is the Global Link tournament, so Smogon tiers don't apply. The rule in the tournament is Flat Rule Singles, Kalos Born, Kalos Dex, so I think Mewtwo, Yveltal and Xerneas are still allowed and will probably be used in excess.
That said, on with the team.
Exploud
Item: Choice Scarf
Nature: Modest
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SPA / 252 SPE
Moves:
~ Boomburst
~ Flamethrower
~ Surf
~ Ice Beam
With a base 140 STAB move that pierces Substitutes, Exploud has become a personal favorite. Typically reserved for my double or triple battles with a Normal Gem, I thought Choice Scarf was a better choice for the flat-rule format. With a speed of 235, if I'm doing my math correctly, that should put him on equal speed as an Adamant Talonflame's top speed of 351, barring priority. Of course, Boomburst is the go-to-move, but when resistance threatens I tried to select the rest of its moves to compensate for the most common likely occurrences like Scizor or Agislash.
Talonflame
Item: Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE
Moves:
~ Brave Bird
~ Flare Blitz
~ U-Turn
~ Steel Wing
I've seen builds that run Swords Dance, Roost or Tailwind, but for a flat-format I just don't see them being as viable. This raw-power build tries to round its coverage with any move types available, even so far as to cover any unlikely rock types with Steel Wing. U-turn allows for a switch in based on expected moves: to Greninja if expecting Psychic, Exploud or Kanga if Ghost, Mawile if Dragon or Agislash if Normal or Fighting. Of course, all depending if my prediction choice is even in the set of 3 for that match. Talonflame easily OHKO's popular contenders like Mewtwo without needing super-effective damage, especially with a Choice Band's power boost.
Greninja
Item: none
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE
Moves:
~ Acrobatics
~ Water Shuriken
~ Power-up Punch
~ Shadow Sneak
With a constantly changing type, STAB moves become inconsequential, giving more room to try different things. Water Shuriken and Shadow Sneak offer priority for finishing, or for changing type before an opponent gets to move, hoping for a resistance or immunity. Power-up Punch I typically use as a revenge-KO when it comes in on something that's near-fainted already, while Acrobatics sits as the go-to-powerhouse move, being Greninja's highest-damage physical attack available. Chosen physical build since the base stat isn't so far behind special that it is rendered useless, and that more people will probably expect Ice Beam or Grass Knot instead of Acrobatics.
Agislash
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Quiet
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPD
Moves:
~ Shadow Ball
~ King's Shield
~ Shadow Sneak
~ Flash Cannon
Again, I try to break away from expectations, having seen very few special Agislash in my match ups. I would have traded out Shadow Sneak for Hidden Power, but since her HP was Dark type there was really no point. I feel like this is probably pretty standard for an Agislash, just using Special STAB instead of physical, since the base stats are the same either way. The bulk and low speed help against opponents who try to use Trick Room, or who may end up throwing Sticky Web onto the field, since lowering an already-slow Pokemon's speed just doesn't bother me.
Kangaskhan
Item: Mega Stone
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Scrappy ~ Paternal Bond
EVs: 4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE
Moves:
~ Return
~ Earthquake
~ Power-up Punch
~ Sucker Punch
Again, what I feel is pretty much a standard. Jolly nature to outspeed rival Kangaskhan, as being placed in Smogon's Uber tier and being allowed in the April friendly will probably mean a lot of use. I opted out of Fake Out in favor of more coverage, and have heard some suggestion to using Dizzy Punch over Return for the confusion effect but thought the straight damage might be a better option. Sucker Punch still offers solid priority, while also enabling a solution to Agislash's King's Shield since it fails and doesn't make contact, if Earthquake seems too risky of an option for one reason or another (like Trick Room).
Mawile
Item: Mega Stone
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Intimidate ~ Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPD
Moves:
~ Iron Head
~ Play Rough
~ Power-up Punch
~ Sucker Punch
Intimidate picked for a possible lead-in, in case I need to switch right away due to bad match ups like Gliscor or Garchomp. While Swords Dance may work better for full-blown 6v6 matches, I feel as though raw setup moves lack the efficiancy that the Flat rule can demand of singles. Again, Sucker Punch helps against opposing Agislash, offering type coverage without risk of hitting the King's Shield. Normally I would not even include a second Mega Evolution, but since the Flat rule plays 3v3 matches I wanted to keep an option available to me.
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