This thread is for a team that was just ridiculously fun to use. Out of all my teams this one was probably based around one specific Idea that drives most battles, Momentum. Partly brought about by Vexatious's warstories this team has been one of those never ending "Works in Progress" that did surprisingly well. Made to give you the momentum from the moment the match starts, and then to never lose it this team rips unprepared opponents to shreds. But I have never been able to fully bring out the potential of it (Peaked around 1150-1200) and so I am bringing it out into the open for everyone to use/rate. Now without further ado I present team Momentum.
And there you have it. A team that is so confusing and confounding that it makes sense. Have a go at it and try it yourself, cause I can tell you that it is dang fun to use. And rate away. Any and all improvements are welcome.
One last look.
Edit: Sorry about the picture sizes, the forum picture re-sizer isn't working for some reason.
I started this team out to take advantage of the new ability Illusion. As one of several new abilities it stood out as unique and rare. Only one pokemon has access to it, and it was also a Pokemon that was unique, Zoroark.
I noticed that in Zoroark's great movepool he had access to U-Turn. At that moment I had an idea, what would happen if I used U-turn in conjunction with Zoroark's ability to confuse and confound the enemy and net surprise KO's. So I started looking for pokemon that have U-Turn to team with Zoroark. And when you look for strong U-Turns the first pokemon that comes to mind is obvious, Scizor
I noticed very quickly that my team was already shaping up to be Fighting weak. And with Conkledurr everywhere to help keep a check on Excadrill I started looking for a pokemon that could take down Fighting types, while still being able to U-Turn. I finally settled on Crobat, whose blinding speed and great typing synergy made him an instant team member.
Then I saw a thread talking about Zoroark team combos. For most of the posts I just blew them off, as they seemed to be trying to use Zoroark as a sweeper, which I found less useful then trying to abuse his Ability. Then I saw a post listing Mienshao (Kojondo at the time) as a good partner for Zoroark, being able to carry U-Turn as well as being a fighting type that draws Psychic moves. I had used Mienshao before, and had loved the ability to wreak havoc as a lead, then come in later to kill off pesky pokemon if needed. So Mienshao was added to the team.
I played with a few pokemon in the next spot, all utilizing U-Turn, when I realized something. With me U-Turn around everywhere I caused a lot of switches. And even though I was causing damage with U-Turn itself, I wasn't taking full advantage of all those switches. And I myself was severely weak to those hazards, what with my pokemon switching around so much. So the next thing I needed was an hazard layer. Looking around I didn't see anything that interested me, till I saw Forretress. It didn't have U-Turn, but it did have access to the Electric version of it, Volt Switch. So Forretress was added as a Hazardous pokemon, clearing away other hazards, and laying my own.
The last slot on my team was perhaps the hardest to fill. I messed around with a lot of pokemon in this slot trying to find a team mate that worked well with my team, before finally settling on Hydreigon. With a great movepool and a Scarf equipped it became part of my team.
This was my team for a while, till I realized that even with Crobat being able to kill every fighting type alive, I had a massive fighting type weakness. So I switched out Hydreigon to a Trick Scarf Azelf. This also had the added benifit of being able to lead if needed. This fixed up pretty much all of the problems my team had had.
I noticed that in Zoroark's great movepool he had access to U-Turn. At that moment I had an idea, what would happen if I used U-turn in conjunction with Zoroark's ability to confuse and confound the enemy and net surprise KO's. So I started looking for pokemon that have U-Turn to team with Zoroark. And when you look for strong U-Turns the first pokemon that comes to mind is obvious, Scizor
I noticed very quickly that my team was already shaping up to be Fighting weak. And with Conkledurr everywhere to help keep a check on Excadrill I started looking for a pokemon that could take down Fighting types, while still being able to U-Turn. I finally settled on Crobat, whose blinding speed and great typing synergy made him an instant team member.
Then I saw a thread talking about Zoroark team combos. For most of the posts I just blew them off, as they seemed to be trying to use Zoroark as a sweeper, which I found less useful then trying to abuse his Ability. Then I saw a post listing Mienshao (Kojondo at the time) as a good partner for Zoroark, being able to carry U-Turn as well as being a fighting type that draws Psychic moves. I had used Mienshao before, and had loved the ability to wreak havoc as a lead, then come in later to kill off pesky pokemon if needed. So Mienshao was added to the team.
I played with a few pokemon in the next spot, all utilizing U-Turn, when I realized something. With me U-Turn around everywhere I caused a lot of switches. And even though I was causing damage with U-Turn itself, I wasn't taking full advantage of all those switches. And I myself was severely weak to those hazards, what with my pokemon switching around so much. So the next thing I needed was an hazard layer. Looking around I didn't see anything that interested me, till I saw Forretress. It didn't have U-Turn, but it did have access to the Electric version of it, Volt Switch. So Forretress was added as a Hazardous pokemon, clearing away other hazards, and laying my own.
The last slot on my team was perhaps the hardest to fill. I messed around with a lot of pokemon in this slot trying to find a team mate that worked well with my team, before finally settling on Hydreigon. With a great movepool and a Scarf equipped it became part of my team.
This was my team for a while, till I realized that even with Crobat being able to kill every fighting type alive, I had a massive fighting type weakness. So I switched out Hydreigon to a Trick Scarf Azelf. This also had the added benifit of being able to lead if needed. This fixed up pretty much all of the problems my team had had.
Zoroaaku (Zoroark) (M) @ Life Orb Trait: Illusion
EVs: 16 Atk / 240 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- U-turn
- Flamethrower
- Dark Pulse
- Grass Knot
The star of the show. Zoroarks part in this team is probably the most important, confounding the enemy. Rarely do I ever start out with the black fox, instead switching to one of my other pokemon to lead. This is where the chaos for my enemy begins. Because you see most people use Zoroark to lead disguising him as another team mate that scares off their opponents lead. As such most players if they see a Zoroark in the team preview just attack, expecting an easy KO and starting the game with great momentum. So I switch. I put Zoroark into the lead spot so that my opponent is sure to notice him, then switch to a reliable pokemon to lead against his team (Usually Azelf or Meinshao). This allows me to get the upper hand right from the start in most matches.
The next important part of my strategy is switching the final pokemon on my team. This is important because of the way Zoroarks ability works, it copies the last pokemon in you team. So I use this to my advantage. If I see they have a sever Scizor problem, with a Magnezone to trap it I will put my Scizor in the back. This lets me use Zoroark to eliminate threats to my own pokemon throughout the match. The final part of Zoroarks strategy is simple, being predictable. If they have a Tyranitar and Latios on their team I will use those times to disguise Zoroark as Scizor and bring him in. This is predicable, and basically expected and as such they will bring in their Scizor counter. I then eliminate it with Zoroark, allowing Scizor to do its job later in the match and remove Latios and Tyranitar.
The moveset for Zoroark gives me great coverage, allowing me to hit and maim most pokemon. I was originally using Scarf, but being locked into a move after your opponents find out who Zoroark is is basically giving a death sentence to Zoroark. EV's are pretty self explanatory, Atk EV's to give more bite to U-Turn, max speed and dump the rest into Sp.Atk. + Speed nature to take advantage of Zoroarks nice speed tier.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Ah Scizor. The pokemon that defined Generation IV more then any other. Its pure power has earned it a place on countless teams. Scizor brings much needed priority to my team. It serves as a check to most sand teams and Lati@s. U-Turn is the bread and butter of this team, and Scizor packs the most powerful U-Turn in the game. Bullet Punch is used to pick off frail or weakened pokemon. Pursuit is used to eliminate the Lati twins. Superpower is used to hit pokemon that like to switch into Scizor, particularly Ferrothorn/Heatran. EV's are basic, Max Attack+Max Speed.
Scizors strategy is simple and basic. Come in and U-Turn. Even a resisted U-Turn causes lots of damage. If I see a threat that I really need to get rid off I might pick one of the other moves, (Pursuit for Lati@s, Superpower for Ferrothorn, Ect..) but Scizors main purpose is to serve as a pivot for other members of the team.
Azelf @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Punch/Ice Punch
- Trick
Azelf is the newest addition to the team, and has been working well. This guy is here to help address the fighting type issues the team was running into. Azelf is really a versatile machine, coming in to revenge, or just U-turn away. I run a trick scarf variant, that allows me to cripple walls or other problem pokemon if needed. I generally use Azelf as a cleaner after the scarf has been removed, taking out weakened threats with ease. While lots of people run mixed Azelf sets I run a pure physical.
As for the moveset. U-Turn is what the team is based around and is used to inflict damage while scouting out the enemy. Zen Headbutt is STAB and, as stated earlier, used to clear out the pesky fighting types. Ice Punch was being used over Fire punch for a while, to deal with Gliscor and Dragons, but I switched to Fire Punch to hit Ferrothorn and Scizor more reliably. Trick is the final move and allows me to cripple things like Blissey, all Eviolite users, and Setup sweepers. It is rather funny coming in on a DD and tricking them a Scarf to prevent anymore set up.
Kojondo (Mienshao) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Hi Jump Kick
- Fake Out
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Meinshao is one of my favorite pokemon from Gen V. Coming equipped with everything needed to be one of the best leads ever it was let down by Team preview. Three great abilities added to its great movepool still make it one of the best dedicated leads in the game. Meinshao's job is to hurt stuff pure and simple. It comes in and fires off a Fake Out for free damage, then U-Turns to someone else. Hi Jump Kick will hurt anything that doesn't resist it, and if I happen to miss with it I can just switch out and let my Ability heal me up. Stone Edge to nail pesky fliers that come in to take the Hi Jump Kick, and U-Turn + Regenerator is one of the most broken combos in the game.
Meinshao is my lead of choice often, allowing me to prevent Rocks, break Sashes, and generally win out as a lead. Meinshao is rather frail though so I have to watch out when switching it in off of a U-Turn or just a regular switch. One of my more important pokemon early game as it has great synergy with Zoroark.
Forretress (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
Forretress has become my go to Spinner and hazard layer. With its enormous defense, and the best Hazard Support movepool around Forretress is great at getting hazards up and keeping them away. I run a Physically bulky Forretress to allow me to come in on Physical attacks and start setting up.
Toxic Spikes are used over spikes as they can rack up more residual damage given enough time, while also preventing walls from being effective, which is really important against physical walls because of how physically orientated my team is. Stealth Rock is Stealth rock, the most broken move in the game. Rapid Spin is a must on this team, because I switch so often it really adds up fast if hazards on on my field. Volt Switch sticks with the U-Turn theme, and makes Gyarados cry. Since Forretress is so slow it also allows me to get other Pokemon in for free, which is another important thing for this team (again residual damage racks up). Forretress has the great benifit of winning out in a Hazard war with the tiers top Hazard layer, Ferrothorn, which is great.
Crobat (M) @ Leftovers Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Brave Bird
- Screech
- Roost
Crobat is in my opinion the most underated pokemon of Gen V. I have yet to have a game where he did not score a KO, or be a pivotal point in it. He is just that good. With an amazing 130 base speed Crobat can afford to run an Attack boosting nature instead of a speed one. With Adamant Nature Crobat is able to outrun every pokemon, outside of weather, except Starmie, which is amazing in this Metagame of speed. Poison/Flying typing doesn't hurt him either, as he 4X resists 3 types. Crobat is also able to take down every Fighting type pokemon around. Which means that he can take out the fighting types that plague the rest of the team.
U-Turn is obvious, and allows me to damage Psychic types that try and come in. Brave Bird is STAB of choice, and usually what I use as soon as I come in. Screech is a suprise move, used to smash things that thing they can wall me. Nothing likes taking a move when it has -2 Defense so it it also helps to phaze. Roost is used for healing, and it allows Crobat to avoid SE moves that are thrown at him often.
EVs: 16 Atk / 240 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- U-turn
- Flamethrower
- Dark Pulse
- Grass Knot
The star of the show. Zoroarks part in this team is probably the most important, confounding the enemy. Rarely do I ever start out with the black fox, instead switching to one of my other pokemon to lead. This is where the chaos for my enemy begins. Because you see most people use Zoroark to lead disguising him as another team mate that scares off their opponents lead. As such most players if they see a Zoroark in the team preview just attack, expecting an easy KO and starting the game with great momentum. So I switch. I put Zoroark into the lead spot so that my opponent is sure to notice him, then switch to a reliable pokemon to lead against his team (Usually Azelf or Meinshao). This allows me to get the upper hand right from the start in most matches.
The next important part of my strategy is switching the final pokemon on my team. This is important because of the way Zoroarks ability works, it copies the last pokemon in you team. So I use this to my advantage. If I see they have a sever Scizor problem, with a Magnezone to trap it I will put my Scizor in the back. This lets me use Zoroark to eliminate threats to my own pokemon throughout the match. The final part of Zoroarks strategy is simple, being predictable. If they have a Tyranitar and Latios on their team I will use those times to disguise Zoroark as Scizor and bring him in. This is predicable, and basically expected and as such they will bring in their Scizor counter. I then eliminate it with Zoroark, allowing Scizor to do its job later in the match and remove Latios and Tyranitar.
The moveset for Zoroark gives me great coverage, allowing me to hit and maim most pokemon. I was originally using Scarf, but being locked into a move after your opponents find out who Zoroark is is basically giving a death sentence to Zoroark. EV's are pretty self explanatory, Atk EV's to give more bite to U-Turn, max speed and dump the rest into Sp.Atk. + Speed nature to take advantage of Zoroarks nice speed tier.
Scizor (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Ah Scizor. The pokemon that defined Generation IV more then any other. Its pure power has earned it a place on countless teams. Scizor brings much needed priority to my team. It serves as a check to most sand teams and Lati@s. U-Turn is the bread and butter of this team, and Scizor packs the most powerful U-Turn in the game. Bullet Punch is used to pick off frail or weakened pokemon. Pursuit is used to eliminate the Lati twins. Superpower is used to hit pokemon that like to switch into Scizor, particularly Ferrothorn/Heatran. EV's are basic, Max Attack+Max Speed.
Scizors strategy is simple and basic. Come in and U-Turn. Even a resisted U-Turn causes lots of damage. If I see a threat that I really need to get rid off I might pick one of the other moves, (Pursuit for Lati@s, Superpower for Ferrothorn, Ect..) but Scizors main purpose is to serve as a pivot for other members of the team.
Azelf @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Zen Headbutt
- Fire Punch/Ice Punch
- Trick
Azelf is the newest addition to the team, and has been working well. This guy is here to help address the fighting type issues the team was running into. Azelf is really a versatile machine, coming in to revenge, or just U-turn away. I run a trick scarf variant, that allows me to cripple walls or other problem pokemon if needed. I generally use Azelf as a cleaner after the scarf has been removed, taking out weakened threats with ease. While lots of people run mixed Azelf sets I run a pure physical.
As for the moveset. U-Turn is what the team is based around and is used to inflict damage while scouting out the enemy. Zen Headbutt is STAB and, as stated earlier, used to clear out the pesky fighting types. Ice Punch was being used over Fire punch for a while, to deal with Gliscor and Dragons, but I switched to Fire Punch to hit Ferrothorn and Scizor more reliably. Trick is the final move and allows me to cripple things like Blissey, all Eviolite users, and Setup sweepers. It is rather funny coming in on a DD and tricking them a Scarf to prevent anymore set up.
Kojondo (Mienshao) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Hi Jump Kick
- Fake Out
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
Meinshao is one of my favorite pokemon from Gen V. Coming equipped with everything needed to be one of the best leads ever it was let down by Team preview. Three great abilities added to its great movepool still make it one of the best dedicated leads in the game. Meinshao's job is to hurt stuff pure and simple. It comes in and fires off a Fake Out for free damage, then U-Turns to someone else. Hi Jump Kick will hurt anything that doesn't resist it, and if I happen to miss with it I can just switch out and let my Ability heal me up. Stone Edge to nail pesky fliers that come in to take the Hi Jump Kick, and U-Turn + Regenerator is one of the most broken combos in the game.
Meinshao is my lead of choice often, allowing me to prevent Rocks, break Sashes, and generally win out as a lead. Meinshao is rather frail though so I have to watch out when switching it in off of a U-Turn or just a regular switch. One of my more important pokemon early game as it has great synergy with Zoroark.
Forretress (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
Forretress has become my go to Spinner and hazard layer. With its enormous defense, and the best Hazard Support movepool around Forretress is great at getting hazards up and keeping them away. I run a Physically bulky Forretress to allow me to come in on Physical attacks and start setting up.
Toxic Spikes are used over spikes as they can rack up more residual damage given enough time, while also preventing walls from being effective, which is really important against physical walls because of how physically orientated my team is. Stealth Rock is Stealth rock, the most broken move in the game. Rapid Spin is a must on this team, because I switch so often it really adds up fast if hazards on on my field. Volt Switch sticks with the U-Turn theme, and makes Gyarados cry. Since Forretress is so slow it also allows me to get other Pokemon in for free, which is another important thing for this team (again residual damage racks up). Forretress has the great benifit of winning out in a Hazard war with the tiers top Hazard layer, Ferrothorn, which is great.
Crobat (M) @ Leftovers Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Brave Bird
- Screech
- Roost
Crobat is in my opinion the most underated pokemon of Gen V. I have yet to have a game where he did not score a KO, or be a pivotal point in it. He is just that good. With an amazing 130 base speed Crobat can afford to run an Attack boosting nature instead of a speed one. With Adamant Nature Crobat is able to outrun every pokemon, outside of weather, except Starmie, which is amazing in this Metagame of speed. Poison/Flying typing doesn't hurt him either, as he 4X resists 3 types. Crobat is also able to take down every Fighting type pokemon around. Which means that he can take out the fighting types that plague the rest of the team.
U-Turn is obvious, and allows me to damage Psychic types that try and come in. Brave Bird is STAB of choice, and usually what I use as soon as I come in. Screech is a suprise move, used to smash things that thing they can wall me. Nothing likes taking a move when it has -2 Defense so it it also helps to phaze. Roost is used for healing, and it allows Crobat to avoid SE moves that are thrown at him often.
And there you have it. A team that is so confusing and confounding that it makes sense. Have a go at it and try it yourself, cause I can tell you that it is dang fun to use. And rate away. Any and all improvements are welcome.
One last look.
Edit: Sorry about the picture sizes, the forum picture re-sizer isn't working for some reason.
