[Original RMT]
If you have read my RMT xerneas rampage, then you will know how much of a fan i am of the doubles ubers metagame, and now that legendaries are allowed into vgc, i thought i might have a stab at creating what i feel might be the new CHALK-like vgc 2016 standard. If you haven't heard about the new vgc metagame yet, in the 2016 season, teams are allowed up to two legendary pokemon from this list:
If you have read my RMT xerneas rampage, then you will know how much of a fan i am of the doubles ubers metagame, and now that legendaries are allowed into vgc, i thought i might have a stab at creating what i feel might be the new CHALK-like vgc 2016 standard. If you haven't heard about the new vgc metagame yet, in the 2016 season, teams are allowed up to two legendary pokemon from this list:
- Mewtwo
- Lugia
- Ho-oh
- Kyogre
- Groudon
- Rayquaza
- Dialga
- Palkia
- Giratina
- Reshiram
- Zekrom
- Kyurem
- Xerneas
- Yveltal
- Zygarde
To sum it up quite frankly, vgc 2016 has become one of, if not the most unbalanced metagame in history, with not just previous uber powerhouses like mega kangaskhan roaming the ladder, but also with ridiculously OP pokemon like mega rayquaza, the most threatening offensive powerhouse ever created and even my personal favourite, xerneas the set up king.
Because of the abundance of extremely fast pokemon like the previously mentioned geomancy xerneas and mega rayquaza in the tier, i'm anticipating a LOT of Shuca Berry TR Dialga sets, which hard counter most xerneas/rayquaza sets along with an abundance of others.
Anyway, onto the team.
At a Glance
As the title suggests, this team is going to be a rendition of my previous xerneas rampage team for vgc 2016, so as you might expect, this is the initial combo i started the team with. A well rounded combo, similar to that of kangaskhan/azumarill, which is another combo i am very interested in (you can find its RMT here), geomancy set up with fake out support leads to relatively fast wins, and there is a second set up opportunity to set up with kangaskhan.
The fairy/ground coverage combo is a fairly well known combination of STABs that work together and play off each other very well. primal groudon is an excellent abuser of this as it not only has STAB precipice blades, but is immune to burn and thunder wave, is a good dialga/trick room check and has a way to change the weather and STAB sun boosted fire type attacks to boot, things that earthquake users like landorus-t sorely need.
Cresselia came to mind next. You may have seen my RMT where i tried to utilize as best i could the charizard/cresselia combo alongside mega kangskhan offence, and now primal groudon makes mega charizard Y look a little puny with its sweeping capability in trick room and its massive bulk, so this new found combo of primal groudon and trick room cresselia really caught my attention, especially with the ability cresselia has to make groudon immune to ground as well as water through skill swap.
Xerneas' best friend, amoonguss gives vital redirection support and becomes a fantastic status abuser in trick room. Rage powder support also gives mega kangaskhan a chance to sweep more effectively if xerneas is threatened by taunt users etc. I think amoonguss is a great choice who benefits both modes that this team plays in.
This last slot took me a while to choose. I eventually decided on thundurus, who completes a nice fake out/redirection/sleep/taunt core which i love to slap onto teams if i can, as it shuts down gimmicky strategies etc. more specifically, thundurus gives the team a better matchup versus xerneas, who thundurus can taunt and even swagger if needs be, and also gives the team a second form of speed control in thunder wave. unfortunately, (and this is why i found it difficult to pick thundurus) opposing primal groudon completely wall thundurus, and its only option is to either switch out, or to pray that swagger doesn't fail.
windows xp ftw
(primal groudon hasn't been uploaded to this teambuilder yet, so camerupt is the closest type wise)
a pretty decent looking type chart, not all types are covered but the team has a good set of pretty key resistances, except for ice..
In Depth:
Xerneas @ Power HerbBecause of the abundance of extremely fast pokemon like the previously mentioned geomancy xerneas and mega rayquaza in the tier, i'm anticipating a LOT of Shuca Berry TR Dialga sets, which hard counter most xerneas/rayquaza sets along with an abundance of others.
Anyway, onto the team.
At a Glance
As the title suggests, this team is going to be a rendition of my previous xerneas rampage team for vgc 2016, so as you might expect, this is the initial combo i started the team with. A well rounded combo, similar to that of kangaskhan/azumarill, which is another combo i am very interested in (you can find its RMT here), geomancy set up with fake out support leads to relatively fast wins, and there is a second set up opportunity to set up with kangaskhan.
The fairy/ground coverage combo is a fairly well known combination of STABs that work together and play off each other very well. primal groudon is an excellent abuser of this as it not only has STAB precipice blades, but is immune to burn and thunder wave, is a good dialga/trick room check and has a way to change the weather and STAB sun boosted fire type attacks to boot, things that earthquake users like landorus-t sorely need.
Cresselia came to mind next. You may have seen my RMT where i tried to utilize as best i could the charizard/cresselia combo alongside mega kangskhan offence, and now primal groudon makes mega charizard Y look a little puny with its sweeping capability in trick room and its massive bulk, so this new found combo of primal groudon and trick room cresselia really caught my attention, especially with the ability cresselia has to make groudon immune to ground as well as water through skill swap.
Xerneas' best friend, amoonguss gives vital redirection support and becomes a fantastic status abuser in trick room. Rage powder support also gives mega kangaskhan a chance to sweep more effectively if xerneas is threatened by taunt users etc. I think amoonguss is a great choice who benefits both modes that this team plays in.
This last slot took me a while to choose. I eventually decided on thundurus, who completes a nice fake out/redirection/sleep/taunt core which i love to slap onto teams if i can, as it shuts down gimmicky strategies etc. more specifically, thundurus gives the team a better matchup versus xerneas, who thundurus can taunt and even swagger if needs be, and also gives the team a second form of speed control in thunder wave. unfortunately, (and this is why i found it difficult to pick thundurus) opposing primal groudon completely wall thundurus, and its only option is to either switch out, or to pray that swagger doesn't fail.
windows xp ftw
(primal groudon hasn't been uploaded to this teambuilder yet, so camerupt is the closest type wise)
a pretty decent looking type chart, not all types are covered but the team has a good set of pretty key resistances, except for ice..
In Depth:
Ability: Fairy Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
- Geomancy
- Dazzling Gleam
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Protect
Pretty basic EV spread, smogon's recommended spread technically doesn't fit this meta, as genesect is non existent. the 76 Speed EVs ensure xerneas outspeeds choice scarf base 102's after a geomancy, max SpA for maximum offensive presence and the rest is distributed into HP. A +2 Dazzling Gleam will OHKO/2HKO most of the metagame not named Ho-oh or Lugia, and Hidden Power [Ground] will finish off any steel types that stand in xerneas' way, and importantly, HP Ground hits primal groudon for good damage (+2 252+ SpA Xerneas Hidden Power Ground vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Primal Groudon: 166-196 (94.8 - 112%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO).
Kangaskhan-Mega @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 244 Atk / 20 Def
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Power-Up Punch
I wanted this mega kangaskhan spread to work well both in and out of trick room, so I went with a pretty bulky spread (i would really like someone to improve upon this spread, as well as possibly xerneas' spread). The 244 HP / 20 Def bulk investment gives it the ability to survive some pretty powerful moves:
- 252 Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 244 HP / 20 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 165-196 (78.1 - 92.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 252+ SpA Life Orb Dialga Draco Meteor vs. 244 HP / 0 SpD Mega Kangaskhan: 175-208 (82.9 - 98.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Overheat vs. 244 HP / 0 SpD Mega Kangaskhan in Sun: 195-229 (92.4 – 108.5%) — 50% chance to OHKO
- +6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 244 HP / 20 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 165-195 (78.1 – 92.4%) — guaranteed 2HKO
- 252 Atk Terrakion Close Combat vs. 244 HP / 20 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 200-236 (94.7 – 111.8%) — 68.8% chance to OHKO
- 252+ Atk Landorus-T Superpower vs. 244 HP / 20 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 158-188 (74.8 – 89%) — guaranteed 2HKO
- 252+ Atk Iron Fist Conkeldurr Drain Punch vs. 244 HP / 20 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 174-206 (82.4 – 97.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO
Inner Focus allows kangaskhan to safely get off a fake out against faster fake out users, like opposing mega kangaskhan, and double-edge gives kangaskhan more power when sweeping under trick room.
Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 148 Atk / 20 Def / 4 SpA / 100 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Precipice Blades
- Fire Blast / Overheat
- Dragon Claw
- Protect
This is a set that i created myself, and it is made to reach these specific benchmarks, which help it handle mega rayquaza and dialga more easily:
- 252+ SpA Life Orb Dialga Draco Meteor vs. 236 HP / 100 SpD Primal Groudon: 173-204 (84.3 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 148+ Atk Primal Groudon Helping Hand Dragon Claw vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Rayquaza: 180-212 (100 - 117.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Fire Blast is a much more spammable option to replace overheat, only at the cost of 20 base damage and 5% accuracy, which i think is a reasonable trade off, and precipice blades is a great earthquake alternative that doesn't hit partners at the cost of 15% accuracy, again a reasonable trade off considering my next option.
Cresselia @ Mental Herb
Ability: Levitate
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 8 Spe
- Trick Room
- Skill Swap / Ice Beam / Moonlight
- Psychic
- Helping Hand
Pretty basic EV spread, enough defence to survive a life orb +1 252+ Atk Dragon ascent from mega rayquaza (+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Cresselia: 191-226 (84.1 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO), and the rest is put into special bulk. 8 Speed IVs ensure cresselia outspeeds primal groudon under trick room by one point, so that cresselia can safely skill swap levitate onto groudon so that its matchup against opposing primal groudons is optimised. Ice beam and moonlight are equally powerful options that benefit cresselia's offensive and defensive potential respectively. Helping hand is on the fourth slot because of the previously mentioned damage calc (148+ Atk Primal Groudon Helping Hand Dragon Claw vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Rayquaza: 180-212 (100 - 117.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO).
Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 188 HP / 156 Def / 164 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Protect
This amoonguss spread is from vgc 2015, and this is another EV spread that i would like updating. this EV spread meets some great benchmarks from big threats in the vgc 2015 meta:
- 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 188 HP / 156 Def Amoonguss: 180-213 (84.5 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Hydreigon Fire Blast vs. 188 HP / 164+ SpD Amoonguss: 180-214 (84.5 - 100.4%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
- 252+ SpA Life Orb Dialga Fire Blast vs. 188 HP / 164+ SpD Amoonguss: 179-213 (84 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
- 252+ SpA Mega Gardevoir Psychic vs. 188 HP / 164+ SpD Amoonguss: 182-216 (85.4 - 101.4%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
- 252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 188 HP / 156 Def Amoonguss: 210-248 (98.5 - 116.4%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
Pretty standard move selection, theres not much reason to use anything else apart from possibly grass knot to handle primal kyogre more easily. Rage powder and spore are amoonguss' selling points, and provide vital support to the whole of the team
Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 4 SpA / 132 SpD / 32 Spe
Calm Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt
- Swagger
I'm tempted to swap out this option for something else (a TailRoom option possibly??), although prankster taunt, thunder wave and swagger all seem so nice in the new meta with all these new special attacking powerhouses running about. A lot of people would shun me for my overuse of swagger, and i completely get the frustration associated with the move, but along with thunder wave brings about RNG abuse and speed control. Taunt stops xerneas in its tracks most times, and thunderbolt is its best STAB. The EV spread may also need updating, but it is a pretty bulky spread, surviving a double-edge from jolly kangaskhan, which is a 2HKO most of the time, and sylveon's hyper voice has 74.6% chance to 3HKO after sitrus berry, with an okay chance to survive a draco meteor from modest specs hydreigon. The speed EVs outspeed base 70's like breloom. Again, these benchmarks will need updating in the new format.
Hope you like the team, i appreciate any sort of constructive criticism you might like to offer :)
Draconid out.
[UPDATED TEAM]
So after all your amazing advice, the team is finally 'complete':
Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 172 HP / 28 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
- Geomancy
- Dazzling Gleam
- Moonblast
- Protect
credit: Serapis
the original EV spread was a little odd, outspeeding excadrill wasn't really necessary since i had primal groudon to change the weather, so this set is focused on offense. Maximum SpA dazzling gleam will do a tonne of damage to unresisting opponents, and moonblast>hidden power ground achieves the same thing but allows xerneas to OHKO most of the meta. the speed EVs will allow xerneas to outspeed choice scarf base 100s after a geomancy, with the defensive EVs accomplishing these benchmarks:
Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 172 HP / 28 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
- Geomancy
- Dazzling Gleam
- Moonblast
- Protect
credit: Serapis
the original EV spread was a little odd, outspeeding excadrill wasn't really necessary since i had primal groudon to change the weather, so this set is focused on offense. Maximum SpA dazzling gleam will do a tonne of damage to unresisting opponents, and moonblast>hidden power ground achieves the same thing but allows xerneas to OHKO most of the meta. the speed EVs will allow xerneas to outspeed choice scarf base 100s after a geomancy, with the defensive EVs accomplishing these benchmarks:
- 252+ Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 172 HP / 28 Def Xerneas: 188-224 (84.3 - 100.4%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
- 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 172 HP / 28 Def Xerneas: 168-199 (75.3 - 89.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 252+ SpA Primal Groudon Eruption (150 BP) vs. 172 HP / 0 SpD Xerneas in Harsh Sun: 178-211 (79.8 - 94.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Level: 50
EVs: 12 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Protect
Credit: Serapis/Cricles Are Round
I didn't think running max speed HO groudon was worth it since i already have togekiss' follow me to draw earth powers to it as well as two forms of speed control, so this spread was chosen for maximum offense with enough speed to outspeed smeargle. The moves selected aim to OHKO other HO primal groudon with earth power, whilst doing massive spread damage with eruption. Fire Blast will give groudon more options at low health as well as guaranteeing an OHKO on crobat
Kangaskhan-Mega @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 172 Atk / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Power-Up Punch
Only real change here is the EV spread:
Since the team no longer has trick room, this spread is no longer focused on a semi-TR style team, so this is a very standard fast kang spread with inner focus to counter fake out based strategies easier. The spread will also survive a jolly kangaskhan's low kick.
Togekiss @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 4 SpA / 116 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
- Follow Me
- Air Slash
- Magic Coat
Credit: SlaySlenderDragonXD
This is the updated togekiss set after initially trying out SlaySlenderDragonXD's suggestion of togekiss over amoonguss.
Magic coat for smeargle etc, TW for the first form of speed control
The spread is explained below (the speed/SpA stats are from excess EVs):
- +2 252 SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 116+ SpD Togekiss: 100-118 (52 - 61.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
- 252+ SpA Primal Groudon Eruption (150 BP) vs. 252 HP / 116+ SpD Togekiss in Harsh Sun: 127-150 (66.1 - 78.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
- 252+ Atk Primal Groudon Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 116 Def Togekiss: 148-176 (77 - 91.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
- 252+ Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 116 Def Togekiss: 153-181 (79.6 - 94.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
- 252 Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 252 HP / 116 Def Togekiss: 157-187 (81.7 - 97.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Atk / 60 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Credit: Jibaku
this survives 3 water spouts from kyogre, and OHKOs xerneas with gyro ball. Please do not use the previous spread, since it was not intentional. I have noticed a couple of people using that spread in teams and hopefully i can reverse this.
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 68 HP / 188 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Super Fang
- Taunt
- Tailwind
- Quick Guard
Finally, crobat is here to stop anything else that may get in the way of a potential sweep. Inner Focus + Taunt will prevent xerneas from setting up if supported with fake out, quick guard will block prankster status moves as well as most opposing fake outs, super fang can chip down the health of bulky legends for a more efficient sweep, and tailwind will help out the slower sweepers. The EVs will survive a +2 modest xerneas moonblast with the rest in defence to increase the chance of surviving a kangaskhan double-edge:
- +2 252+ SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 68 HP / 0 SpD Crobat: 142-168 (84 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
- 252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 68 HP / 188 Def Crobat: 145-172 (85.7 - 101.7%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
- (252 Atk Parental Bond Mega Kangaskhan Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Crobat: 177-211 (92.1 - 109.8%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO)
Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 172 HP / 28 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
- Geomancy
- Dazzling Gleam
- Moonblast
- Protect
Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Level: 50
EVs: 12 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Protect
Kangaskhan-Mega @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 172 Atk / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Power-Up Punch
Togekiss @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 4 SpA / 116 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
- Follow Me
Ability: Fairy Aura
Level: 50
EVs: 172 HP / 28 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
- Geomancy
- Dazzling Gleam
- Moonblast
- Protect
Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Level: 50
EVs: 12 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Protect
Kangaskhan-Mega @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 172 Atk / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- Double-Edge
- Sucker Punch
- Power-Up Punch
Togekiss @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 116 Def / 4 SpA / 116 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
- Follow Me
- Air Slash
- Thunder Wave
- Magic Coat
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Atk / 196 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Crobat @ Lum Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 68 HP / 188 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Super Fang
- Taunt
- Tailwind
- Quick Guard
- Thunder Wave
- Magic Coat
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 60 Atk / 196 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Ability: Inner Focus
Level: 50
EVs: 68 HP / 188 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Super Fang
- Taunt
- Tailwind
- Quick Guard
the importable has glitched out sorry :(
So that's the team :)
Hope you enjoyed reading, and again if you have any advice for alternative team choices etc i would love to hear them
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