Monotype Team #1
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Whirlwind
Every sand team needs Hippowdon and this team is no exception. Setting sand and setting Stealth Rock makes Hippowdon invaluable. Its fantastic physical bulk lets it easily switch into physical attackers to accomplish its goals. Leftovers and Slack Off give it impressive longevity, pivoting into play frequently throughout even a long battle. Whirlwind is a nice final utility option that lets Hippowdon cover potentially dangerous threats like Mega Scizor that can threaten to sweep.
Excadrill @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin
The star of the team: Excadrill. Its damage output is unbelievable with Choice Band: even Slowbro is 2HKOed with Stealth Rock support. Rapid Spin is used to remove Toxic Spikes to keep the team healthy. The rest of the set is natural, with Sand Rush letting it outspeed most of the metagame, and stabs + EdgeQuake coverage to hit almost every team hard.
Landorus @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Psychic
- Sludge Wave
While Excadrill is a great physical attacker, it can still get walled by threats like Skarmory and Mega Slowbro. That's where Landorus comes in. It can easily 2HKO almost every physical wall as one of the most threatening special attackers in the tier. It's also very versatile, so the opponents have no idea what moves it can bring out! In this case, Focus Blast is a must for taking out Skarmory, Psychic covers the weakness to Mega Venusaur, and Sludge Wave hits Celebi.
Mamoswine @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Superpower
While Excadrill is fast in sand, sand teams overall are pretty slow. So to beat Pokemon like Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu and Mega Latias, Mamoswine was my choice. It's also great for taking on Dragon teams, which can be frustrating due to Kyurem-B. In addition to just Kyurem-B, Thick Fat makes Mamoswine a great switch-in to Ice-type attacks in general, something this team can appreciate, with Excadrill rarely willing to take unnecessary damage. Knock Off and Superpower are nice coverage moves that can help beat Chansey and Ferrothorn.
Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Recover
- Toxic
Every Ground team needs a Water immunity, and Gastrodon fits here. As a special wall, it forms a nice core with Hippowdon, giving the team a defensive wall for almost every attacker. By investing in Special Defense, Gastrodon can handle even Grass Knot users like Alolan Raichu while beating Kingdra and Kyurem-B fairly easily. Earthquake is used over Earth Power to handle Calm Mind Keldeo, and Toxic lets Gastrodon cripple opposing walls.
Garchomp @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Finally, Garchomp is the team's last Pokemon. With Dragonium Z, at +2, Garchomp can break just about any non-Fairy-type including even specially defensive Celesteela. It has Stone Edge for good coverage as well, and with Excadrill and Landorus breaking down any possible check, Garchomp is a third wall breaker that can threaten to sweep the many balance teams in the Monotype metagame.
Monotype Team #2
Pelipper @ Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
Pelipper is the best rain setter with its access to literally all the utility rain teams would want in a pivoting move, recovery, and hazard control. Opting for bulk, Pelipper can come in and out throughout the game to set rain for the team while still taking hits from Pokemon like Keldeo. Defog is necessary for this team, since Pelipper itself is weak to Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes can cripple the whole team.
Swampert-Mega @ Swampertite
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
Swampert is the best Mega Evolution here for its offensive presence. Thanks to rain, it outspeeds a lot of Monotype teams. Stealth Rock is necessary for every team, and Mega Swampert can help by compressing both the rain sweeper role and the Stealth Rock role at once. Ice Punch is a nice coverage move that hits Dragon-types like Mega Latias and Latios that threaten Water teams.
Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Surf
- Ice Beam
Kingdra is the counterpart to Mega Swampert. Where Mega Swampert breaks special walls, Kingdra breaks physical walls. In the rain, Choice Specs-boosted Kingdra has very few defensive switch-ins, making it very good against HO or offense types like Bug and Fighting. With just a Modest nature, it still outspeeds Choice Scarf Latios, making it a fantastic answer to Dragon teams, with Draco Meteor OHKOing everything except Mega Altaria, which can be hit with Ice Beam. Ice Beam is also helpful for taking on Tapu Bulu.
Greninja @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Gunk Shot
Greninja provides this team with some nice speed control outside of rain. Thanks to Protean, it brings powerful STAB attacks even without a boosting item. Dark Pulse and U-turn give this team a lot of help against Psychic, and Gunk Shot handles Grass- and Fairy-types. Choice Scarf might lock Greninja in, but being able to lead with Greninja and pivot out with U-turn against basically any Pokemon is always really nice. Especially since it creates a U-turn core with Pelipper.
Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Keldeo is like Kingdra but doesn't rely on rain. It's fast and strong specially. However, it sets itself apart with its Secret Sword, which makes it self-sufficient, able to target both physical and special walls. For example, Chansey, which is able to wall Kingdra completely, is crushed by Keldeo freely. Hidden Power Electric was my STAB move of choice, since otherwise Toxapex and Mantine both stop Keldeo from doing much in those matchups. While running two Water-type moves reduces coverage, this team has three other Ice coverage moves and Scald's reliability makes it a great fit.
Manaphy @ Waterium Z
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rain Dance
- Surf
- Tail Glow
- Psychic
Manaphy rounds off the team as a second rain setter that can sweep in its own right. Waterium Z is incredibly versatile, able to use Z-Rain Dance to boost Speed (and set rain for the team and activate Hydration!) or it can boost Surf to be strong enough to break even Assault Vest Alolan Muk. Combining that power with Psychic makes Manaphy able to take on Poison teams, which may otherwise be difficult for this team to handle. Scald is an option that could be tried, but Surf's extra damage is really important when considering the extra boost it gets from Waterium Z.