Hey guys! So with Gen 7 finally wrapping up (certainly a bittersweet moment for me), I wanted to build a team of some of my favorite Pokemon (just in general, not necessarily the most competitively viable) as kind of a send off. I narrowed my list down to about a top 20 list of Pokemon, tried to hone it down to the most viable possible team of 6 I could figure out and have play-tested this team ABOUT 200 times with extremely mixed results. I do fine at the lower levels of the ladder (it tears through gimmick teams and inexperienced users) but the instant I go up against more experienced players, I tend to struggle. Granted, that's partly to be expected when I've so thoroughly limited my pool of options but I wanted to post the team and see if you guys could help me out with polishing some of the rough edges of this (or suggest some possible switch outs). Maybe some of you will find joy in making the pieces of this puzzle fit? Either way, here we go:
The Team
So the team is obviously not the worst in terms of competitive viability, as all can hold their own reasonably well in OU. The basis of the team was set up around Houndoom, as it's my all time favorite Pokemon, so that was the starting point. I added Empoleon and Venusaur to set up a Fire/Water/Grass core (while Houndoom is weak defensively, predicting fire attacks on switches has been relatively easy so with Flash Fire as the ability, it can check fire attacks damage free). Heracross was added as a physical wall breaker, to clear things out that are specially bulky, while Umberon was added as an additional defensive pivot. Finally I rounded out the team with Garchomp, as I felt I needed another sledgehammer to help clear the way for late game Houndoom sweeps. While this team was built from a pool of my faves, Houndoom is the only Poke I'm fully committed to leaving no matter what. Other Pokemon that were considered, that could be swapped in and still keep the team's spirit alive:
Lapras, Dragonite, Charizard, Feraligatr, Swampert, any Eeveelution (aside from Sylveon, the eyes creep me out), Ninetails, Golduck, Aerodactyl, Sandslash, Alakazam, Infernape, Kabutops, Politoed, Carracosta, Sceptile, Tyrantrum
Now, for a deeper dive on each individual member:
Garchomp:
Garchomp typically functions as my lead as he forces a ton of switches off the bat, and allows me to either set up stealth rocks or use swords dance (depending on what I think is coming), both jobs help late game Houndoom. Past that, he functions well as a wallbreaker/semi-bulky offensive threat. I know the typical Garchomp runs Rockium-Z with Stone Edge as a nuke, but I opted for EQ to A.) make use of ground STAB and B.) allow Garchomp to hold a lum berry and function, for at least one turn, as a status sponge (also has the added benefit of clearing up outrage confusion). Rough skin helps to supply chip damage, which isn't huge but has helped before.
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spe/252 Atk/4 Def
Jolly Nature
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Swords Dance
-Stealth Rock
I'm going to be honest, Chomp is the member of this team I'm least attached to. I initially had a multiscale Dragonite in it's place, but had better success with a rock setter/faster attacker. Chomp just feels like an uninspired choice that doesn't have much synergy with the rest of the team.
Umbreon:
Umbreon, much like Garchomp, was a late addition that I'm not overly sold on. I noticed upon initially playtesting that if Venusaur or Empoleon went down, my team had no good defensive options. Furthermore, Houndoom gets worn down so easily from chip damage that adding wish support was an added bonus. In comes Umbreon. The set is pretty standard, Umbreon is specially defensive, toxic helps wear down walls, protect allows for leftovers recovery and additional toxic counters to build up, wish keeps everyone happy, and foul play gives Umbreon SOME semblance of offensive presence. It's funny, because as Umbreon has fallen down the tiers, it seems like fewer and fewer teams are prepared for it as a special wall, and it's been surprisingly effective as a wall. That being said, sharing a dark type with Houndoom has proved to be problematic, especially from fairies (which also nuke Chomp).
Umbreon @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP/252 SpD/4 Def
Calm Nature
-Toxic
-Foul Play
-Wish
-Protect
Venusaur:
Ah yes, my weird Venusaur. I've had more than a few people assume I'm sneakily running a sun team (despite no drought user on this team) purely because they see Houndoom and Venusaur together. That being said, this is not a special sweeping Venusaur. I actually primarily use it as a physical wall, a role it has done pretty well in. It's one of my few Pokemon that can handle fairies and with sludge bomb, can actually hit them fairly hard. Leech seed was added for passive recovery, Synthesis for more desperate recovery. Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain take advantage of Venusaur's stab. Venusaur has awesome defensive synergy with Empoleon so the EV spread was created to essentially be the inverse of Empoleon's. The only downside is that Ferrothorn frequently puts me into stale mate situations. Have opted for HP fire over Giga Drain in the past, specifically to mitigate this (especially since Synthesis and Leech Seed leave me with so many recovery options already). Overgrow/Chlorophyll remains a toss up for me. Overgrow is a very "meh" choice but does help Giga Drain out in a pinch. I don't run sun so Chlorophyll feels like a wasted slot.
Venusaur @ Black Sludge
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP/76 SpD/180 Def
Bold Nature
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb
-Synthesis
-Leech Seed
Empoleon:
Empoleon, the other half of my defensive core. I've really enjoyed using this guy, as his typing and usage can cover so many bases for me. In fact, I think my biggest issue is that I might be asking Empoleon to do too much and when it goes down in battle, I struggle to cover those roles. I spam Scald like crazy. It hits hard and burns plenty on switches. Toxic is here to help Empoleon with things that would otherwise resist scald. Defog keeps the field clear (as Houndoom really can't afford much chip damage) and roar keeps things from setting up on us. All-in-all, I've got Empoleon functioning as a specially defensive pivot, a spinner, and a phaser. I might need to take some off it's plate, but I really and truly love using this Pokemon.
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/180 SpD/76 Def
Calm Nature
-Scald
-Toxic
-Roar
-Defog
Heracross:
A wall breaker, pure and simple. Has the added benefit of being surprisingly bulky AND readily absorbs status moves. Guts/flame orb combo to boost already impressive attack stats. Swords dance to further boost that attack to terrifying levels. Close Combat for STAB, facade for neutral coverage (that happens to hit hard after the burn sets in). I originally ran megahorn on it, but opted for Knock Off instead. I noticed this team really struggles against scarves, and that has helped slow some fast pokes down. In nearly every win I've had with this team, Heracross has taken out at least one wall. It's pretty indispensable for something like Houndoom.
Heracross @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Spe/252 Atk/4 Def
Jolly Nature
-Close Combat
-Swords Dance
-Knock Off
-Facade
Houndoom:
Finally, my team MVP and the beloved core of everything: Houndoom. Flash Fire ability has given it a surprising switch in option, that I didn't totally anticipate. Houndoom usually stays on my bench otherwise, until I see an opening mid-late game, and then I let it wreak havoc. Currently has Houndoomite to take what it was already good at and make it better, but I'm not overly attached to the idea that it HAS to be M-Houndoom (if putting a mega stone on something else makes this team more viable, then I'm happy to make that switch). Nasty plot is on here to allow this thing to further set up, Fire Blast and Dark Pulse to cover STAB. I put Sludge Bomb in the 4th move slot, because as I've mentioned previously, fairies give this team fits. It's a pretty straight forward M-Houndoom set as is.
Houndoom @ Houndoomite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spe/252 SpA/4 Def
Timid Nature
-Nasty Plot
-Fire Blast
-Dark Pulse
-Sludge Bomb
And that's the team! In all honesty, base Houndoom is the only thing I consider truly untouchable. I'm open to swapping most of these things, but would prefer to keep this team as intact as possible, and if we must switch out, preferably with something from the list above. In an ideal world, I'm just swapping out some moves/natures/abilities to cover what I've already built.
Weaknesses I've already noticed are obviously fairies, weather teams (although sun actually benefits M-Houndoom), and getting around scarves.
That being said, I understand that Pokemon isn't an equitable game and you can't ALWAYS get what you want so I'm open to any and all suggestions! Thanks guys!
The Team
So the team is obviously not the worst in terms of competitive viability, as all can hold their own reasonably well in OU. The basis of the team was set up around Houndoom, as it's my all time favorite Pokemon, so that was the starting point. I added Empoleon and Venusaur to set up a Fire/Water/Grass core (while Houndoom is weak defensively, predicting fire attacks on switches has been relatively easy so with Flash Fire as the ability, it can check fire attacks damage free). Heracross was added as a physical wall breaker, to clear things out that are specially bulky, while Umberon was added as an additional defensive pivot. Finally I rounded out the team with Garchomp, as I felt I needed another sledgehammer to help clear the way for late game Houndoom sweeps. While this team was built from a pool of my faves, Houndoom is the only Poke I'm fully committed to leaving no matter what. Other Pokemon that were considered, that could be swapped in and still keep the team's spirit alive:
Lapras, Dragonite, Charizard, Feraligatr, Swampert, any Eeveelution (aside from Sylveon, the eyes creep me out), Ninetails, Golduck, Aerodactyl, Sandslash, Alakazam, Infernape, Kabutops, Politoed, Carracosta, Sceptile, Tyrantrum
Now, for a deeper dive on each individual member:
Garchomp:
Garchomp typically functions as my lead as he forces a ton of switches off the bat, and allows me to either set up stealth rocks or use swords dance (depending on what I think is coming), both jobs help late game Houndoom. Past that, he functions well as a wallbreaker/semi-bulky offensive threat. I know the typical Garchomp runs Rockium-Z with Stone Edge as a nuke, but I opted for EQ to A.) make use of ground STAB and B.) allow Garchomp to hold a lum berry and function, for at least one turn, as a status sponge (also has the added benefit of clearing up outrage confusion). Rough skin helps to supply chip damage, which isn't huge but has helped before.
Garchomp @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spe/252 Atk/4 Def
Jolly Nature
-Outrage
-Earthquake
-Swords Dance
-Stealth Rock
I'm going to be honest, Chomp is the member of this team I'm least attached to. I initially had a multiscale Dragonite in it's place, but had better success with a rock setter/faster attacker. Chomp just feels like an uninspired choice that doesn't have much synergy with the rest of the team.
Umbreon:
Umbreon, much like Garchomp, was a late addition that I'm not overly sold on. I noticed upon initially playtesting that if Venusaur or Empoleon went down, my team had no good defensive options. Furthermore, Houndoom gets worn down so easily from chip damage that adding wish support was an added bonus. In comes Umbreon. The set is pretty standard, Umbreon is specially defensive, toxic helps wear down walls, protect allows for leftovers recovery and additional toxic counters to build up, wish keeps everyone happy, and foul play gives Umbreon SOME semblance of offensive presence. It's funny, because as Umbreon has fallen down the tiers, it seems like fewer and fewer teams are prepared for it as a special wall, and it's been surprisingly effective as a wall. That being said, sharing a dark type with Houndoom has proved to be problematic, especially from fairies (which also nuke Chomp).
Umbreon @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP/252 SpD/4 Def
Calm Nature
-Toxic
-Foul Play
-Wish
-Protect
Venusaur:
Ah yes, my weird Venusaur. I've had more than a few people assume I'm sneakily running a sun team (despite no drought user on this team) purely because they see Houndoom and Venusaur together. That being said, this is not a special sweeping Venusaur. I actually primarily use it as a physical wall, a role it has done pretty well in. It's one of my few Pokemon that can handle fairies and with sludge bomb, can actually hit them fairly hard. Leech seed was added for passive recovery, Synthesis for more desperate recovery. Sludge Bomb and Giga Drain take advantage of Venusaur's stab. Venusaur has awesome defensive synergy with Empoleon so the EV spread was created to essentially be the inverse of Empoleon's. The only downside is that Ferrothorn frequently puts me into stale mate situations. Have opted for HP fire over Giga Drain in the past, specifically to mitigate this (especially since Synthesis and Leech Seed leave me with so many recovery options already). Overgrow/Chlorophyll remains a toss up for me. Overgrow is a very "meh" choice but does help Giga Drain out in a pinch. I don't run sun so Chlorophyll feels like a wasted slot.
Venusaur @ Black Sludge
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP/76 SpD/180 Def
Bold Nature
-Giga Drain
-Sludge Bomb
-Synthesis
-Leech Seed
Empoleon:
Empoleon, the other half of my defensive core. I've really enjoyed using this guy, as his typing and usage can cover so many bases for me. In fact, I think my biggest issue is that I might be asking Empoleon to do too much and when it goes down in battle, I struggle to cover those roles. I spam Scald like crazy. It hits hard and burns plenty on switches. Toxic is here to help Empoleon with things that would otherwise resist scald. Defog keeps the field clear (as Houndoom really can't afford much chip damage) and roar keeps things from setting up on us. All-in-all, I've got Empoleon functioning as a specially defensive pivot, a spinner, and a phaser. I might need to take some off it's plate, but I really and truly love using this Pokemon.
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP/180 SpD/76 Def
Calm Nature
-Scald
-Toxic
-Roar
-Defog
Heracross:
A wall breaker, pure and simple. Has the added benefit of being surprisingly bulky AND readily absorbs status moves. Guts/flame orb combo to boost already impressive attack stats. Swords dance to further boost that attack to terrifying levels. Close Combat for STAB, facade for neutral coverage (that happens to hit hard after the burn sets in). I originally ran megahorn on it, but opted for Knock Off instead. I noticed this team really struggles against scarves, and that has helped slow some fast pokes down. In nearly every win I've had with this team, Heracross has taken out at least one wall. It's pretty indispensable for something like Houndoom.
Heracross @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Spe/252 Atk/4 Def
Jolly Nature
-Close Combat
-Swords Dance
-Knock Off
-Facade
Houndoom:
Finally, my team MVP and the beloved core of everything: Houndoom. Flash Fire ability has given it a surprising switch in option, that I didn't totally anticipate. Houndoom usually stays on my bench otherwise, until I see an opening mid-late game, and then I let it wreak havoc. Currently has Houndoomite to take what it was already good at and make it better, but I'm not overly attached to the idea that it HAS to be M-Houndoom (if putting a mega stone on something else makes this team more viable, then I'm happy to make that switch). Nasty plot is on here to allow this thing to further set up, Fire Blast and Dark Pulse to cover STAB. I put Sludge Bomb in the 4th move slot, because as I've mentioned previously, fairies give this team fits. It's a pretty straight forward M-Houndoom set as is.
Houndoom @ Houndoomite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spe/252 SpA/4 Def
Timid Nature
-Nasty Plot
-Fire Blast
-Dark Pulse
-Sludge Bomb
And that's the team! In all honesty, base Houndoom is the only thing I consider truly untouchable. I'm open to swapping most of these things, but would prefer to keep this team as intact as possible, and if we must switch out, preferably with something from the list above. In an ideal world, I'm just swapping out some moves/natures/abilities to cover what I've already built.
Weaknesses I've already noticed are obviously fairies, weather teams (although sun actually benefits M-Houndoom), and getting around scarves.
That being said, I understand that Pokemon isn't an equitable game and you can't ALWAYS get what you want so I'm open to any and all suggestions! Thanks guys!