https://pokepast.es/f321b2671d6e2b2b
Hey everyone,
Recently got back into competitive after not playing since Gen 6. I've only ever created a handful of teams before so I'm still very inexperienced. I wanted to create a bulky offense team with a Gholdengo + Raging Bolt core. There's a lot of suboptimal choices so I'm open to replacing up to 2 or 3 Pokemon if need be, although I'd ideally like to keep the core two the same as I enjoy them. The main issues with my current team are it's weaknesses to Ground, Fairy, Ice and to a lesser extent Dark, Dragon and Water.
Gholdengo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Good as Gold
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Make It Rain
- Dazzling Gleam
- Focus Blast
This originally started as the standard revenge killer Trick set, however i didn't really enjoy using Trick as much as I expected (likely due to poor playing on my part). Focus Blast feels way too inconsistent for the threats I'm trying to use it on like Kingambit, so I swapped out Trick for Dazzling Gleam to be able to hit something like Kingambit consistently and also 2HKO H-Samurott, Darkrai, Weavile. Meowscarada if they are switched in predicting a Shadow Ball. I often struggle with Roaring Moon as well so having a 100% acc OHKO for it feels good. I've kept the Fighting Tera as is so a 5-ally Supreme Overlord Sucker Punch turns into a 3HKO instead of OHKO. I've also experimented with Nasty Plot Gholdengo on other teams and greatly enjoy that as well, however on this team I feel the speed control from Scarf is necessary to beat threats like Dragapult. Happy to consider changing the set if speed control/priority was added via another mon.
Raging Bolt @ Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 20 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderclap
- Dragon Pulse
- Thunderbolt
This is my main threat on the team. A good switch-in plus a single Calm Mind is usually enough to sweep 2-4 mons on the opposing team, and with good predictions it can OHKO a lot of pokemon that may cause trouble for it, like Gliscor and Landorus-T. Outside of that, Fairy Tera allows it to survive against opponents that would otherwise outspeed and kill it like Ogrepon-W with Play Rough, Dragonite, Great Tusk etc. I'm pretty happy with this mon as is and don't really see a need to change it as it's consistent damage puts in a lot of work for the team.
Great Tusk @ Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Headlong Rush
- Ice Spinner
- Rapid Spin
Originally I chose this mon to mitigate the EQ weakness my team has, and I'm decently happy with it's performance. Hazard removal feels nice to have as I feel this helps keep Gholdengo and RB healthy, but I find I often am unable to get a good Rapid Spin off (pretty sure this is just a skill issue). I replaced Bulk Up with Close Combat after the millionth Focus Blast miss so I could have reliable Fighting STAB on the team, however I find that often Headlong Rush or Ice Spinner are needed instead so I'm going to change it back and see how it feels using Bulk Up before them. The item also helps with speed control for the team but honestly I'm pretty neutral on this pick. I've left the Tera as is but am open to changing it or even replacing this mon entirely.
Ting-Lu @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Ruination
Bit of an odd addition to the team, I wanted something to function as a mixed wall of sorts. Spikes + Whirlwind can occasionally deliver a lot of damage but most of the time my aim is to switch in to take a hit and then Spikes or Ruination. I also like having Whirlwind available in case my opponent starts setting up. This suffers against Ogerpon-W a lot as it gets outsped and OHKO'd after 1 SD, or will take 75% from an unboosted Ivy Cudgel/Power Whip. I've left it as Poison Tera for the occasions that it actually walls my opponent's team very well and they attempt to Toxic, however I very rarely use this Tera. I don't really have any qualms about replacing this mon.
Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 144 SpA / 96 SpD
Modest Nature
- Psyshock
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Surf
This pick exists because it's two typings that I don't have yet and also acts as a special wall. The damage it can output is pretty decent and can sometimes surprise people expecting the typical defensive pivot set. I feel like my team is quite threatened by Darkrai (Dark Pulse on Gholdengo, Ice Beam on half my team), so a Water Tera allows this to tank hits very well. The only time this really backfires for me is when Glowking is switched in *after* the Darkrai already has a Nasty Plot active. Regenerator allows me to keep this thing around for a long time and it's one of the more consistent members on the team. I wouldn't be against replacing this mon assuming the team picks up an equivalent.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Nasty Plot
- Will-O-Wisp
This might seem like a really odd pick for the team and it is. This is the newest member of my rotating sixth slot that I chose for three main reasons. I'm familiar with the Pokemon from using it in prior generations, it has an immunity to one of my team's biggest weaknesses (Ground) and the Water STAB seems really useful for a tier with so many Ground-type mons. Steel Tera is chosen to prevent being poisoned and Will-O-Wisp helps check some threats like Kingambit, Ogerpon-W, Dragonite, Great Tusk and Roaring Moon.
Team Adjustments
I thought it might be helpful to clarify the changes made to the team in one section. The sixth member of the team has changed numerous times and I thought adding in my thoughts during the process might illuminate some things. Just to note, I'm very open to the idea that the sixth member isn't the issue with the team and the entire team needs some restructuring.
Darkrai @ Focus Sash
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Poison
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Sludge Bomb
Originally this team used this Darkrai, however after some time I noted I didn't really enjoy using this mon and it most likely didn't fit for a BO team. Having Ice Beam and Dark STAB felt pretty good though.
Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Water
Timid Nature
- Aurora Veil
- Freeze-Dry
- Encore
- Moonblast
This replaced Darkrai and was definitely the most successful iteration of the team so far. I attribute this to Aurora Veil allowing my Raging Bolt to set-up more freely, as well as the Ice/Fairy typing. Immunity from Dragon moves made switching in quite easy, and would allow me to either threaten the opposing Dragon with Freeze-Dry/Moonblast and setup Aurora Veil. The set is Smogon's sample set with Snowscape changed to Moonblast for the strong Fairy STAB, however I can definitely see where Snowscape would've come in handy. I peaked in the mid 1400s with this team pretty easily, although my lack of competitive knowledge is definitely my larger problem at the moment. The main reason I changed this mon was that it was yet another mon on the team weak to Ground, and as I passed 1400 elo I wasn't getting the 'free' Aurora Veils I had relied on previously with lower-skilled players. My opponents were often punishing my Ground weakness much more effectively than before too. The Snow weather also didn't really benefit the rest of my team.
Rillaboom @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spe
Tera Type: Grass
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Low Kick
I used this mon to replace Alolan Ninetales and almost immediately dropped from the 1400s to the 1100s. The reasoning behind this pick was the Grass typing alongside the Grassy Surge dampening EQs against the rest of the team. The Grassy Glide was useful for proper priority on the team, although I found the rest of the set somewhat lacking. I attribute this to my lack of knowledge/experience with the mon mainly, and was able to find some success with it on another team with the Choice Band variant. I found that the Grassy Surge didn't dampen the EQs as much as I expected, but the passive healing at the end of each turn was very helpful for the rest of the team.
Hey everyone,
Recently got back into competitive after not playing since Gen 6. I've only ever created a handful of teams before so I'm still very inexperienced. I wanted to create a bulky offense team with a Gholdengo + Raging Bolt core. There's a lot of suboptimal choices so I'm open to replacing up to 2 or 3 Pokemon if need be, although I'd ideally like to keep the core two the same as I enjoy them. The main issues with my current team are it's weaknesses to Ground, Fairy, Ice and to a lesser extent Dark, Dragon and Water.
Gholdengo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Good as Gold
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Make It Rain
- Dazzling Gleam
- Focus Blast
This originally started as the standard revenge killer Trick set, however i didn't really enjoy using Trick as much as I expected (likely due to poor playing on my part). Focus Blast feels way too inconsistent for the threats I'm trying to use it on like Kingambit, so I swapped out Trick for Dazzling Gleam to be able to hit something like Kingambit consistently and also 2HKO H-Samurott, Darkrai, Weavile. Meowscarada if they are switched in predicting a Shadow Ball. I often struggle with Roaring Moon as well so having a 100% acc OHKO for it feels good. I've kept the Fighting Tera as is so a 5-ally Supreme Overlord Sucker Punch turns into a 3HKO instead of OHKO. I've also experimented with Nasty Plot Gholdengo on other teams and greatly enjoy that as well, however on this team I feel the speed control from Scarf is necessary to beat threats like Dragapult. Happy to consider changing the set if speed control/priority was added via another mon.
Raging Bolt @ Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 20 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderclap
- Dragon Pulse
- Thunderbolt
This is my main threat on the team. A good switch-in plus a single Calm Mind is usually enough to sweep 2-4 mons on the opposing team, and with good predictions it can OHKO a lot of pokemon that may cause trouble for it, like Gliscor and Landorus-T. Outside of that, Fairy Tera allows it to survive against opponents that would otherwise outspeed and kill it like Ogrepon-W with Play Rough, Dragonite, Great Tusk etc. I'm pretty happy with this mon as is and don't really see a need to change it as it's consistent damage puts in a lot of work for the team.
Great Tusk @ Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Headlong Rush
- Ice Spinner
- Rapid Spin
Originally I chose this mon to mitigate the EQ weakness my team has, and I'm decently happy with it's performance. Hazard removal feels nice to have as I feel this helps keep Gholdengo and RB healthy, but I find I often am unable to get a good Rapid Spin off (pretty sure this is just a skill issue). I replaced Bulk Up with Close Combat after the millionth Focus Blast miss so I could have reliable Fighting STAB on the team, however I find that often Headlong Rush or Ice Spinner are needed instead so I'm going to change it back and see how it feels using Bulk Up before them. The item also helps with speed control for the team but honestly I'm pretty neutral on this pick. I've left the Tera as is but am open to changing it or even replacing this mon entirely.
Ting-Lu @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Ruination
Bit of an odd addition to the team, I wanted something to function as a mixed wall of sorts. Spikes + Whirlwind can occasionally deliver a lot of damage but most of the time my aim is to switch in to take a hit and then Spikes or Ruination. I also like having Whirlwind available in case my opponent starts setting up. This suffers against Ogerpon-W a lot as it gets outsped and OHKO'd after 1 SD, or will take 75% from an unboosted Ivy Cudgel/Power Whip. I've left it as Poison Tera for the occasions that it actually walls my opponent's team very well and they attempt to Toxic, however I very rarely use this Tera. I don't really have any qualms about replacing this mon.
Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 144 SpA / 96 SpD
Modest Nature
- Psyshock
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
- Surf
This pick exists because it's two typings that I don't have yet and also acts as a special wall. The damage it can output is pretty decent and can sometimes surprise people expecting the typical defensive pivot set. I feel like my team is quite threatened by Darkrai (Dark Pulse on Gholdengo, Ice Beam on half my team), so a Water Tera allows this to tank hits very well. The only time this really backfires for me is when Glowking is switched in *after* the Darkrai already has a Nasty Plot active. Regenerator allows me to keep this thing around for a long time and it's one of the more consistent members on the team. I wouldn't be against replacing this mon assuming the team picks up an equivalent.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Nasty Plot
- Will-O-Wisp
This might seem like a really odd pick for the team and it is. This is the newest member of my rotating sixth slot that I chose for three main reasons. I'm familiar with the Pokemon from using it in prior generations, it has an immunity to one of my team's biggest weaknesses (Ground) and the Water STAB seems really useful for a tier with so many Ground-type mons. Steel Tera is chosen to prevent being poisoned and Will-O-Wisp helps check some threats like Kingambit, Ogerpon-W, Dragonite, Great Tusk and Roaring Moon.
Team Adjustments
I thought it might be helpful to clarify the changes made to the team in one section. The sixth member of the team has changed numerous times and I thought adding in my thoughts during the process might illuminate some things. Just to note, I'm very open to the idea that the sixth member isn't the issue with the team and the entire team needs some restructuring.
Darkrai @ Focus Sash
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Poison
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Sludge Bomb
Originally this team used this Darkrai, however after some time I noted I didn't really enjoy using this mon and it most likely didn't fit for a BO team. Having Ice Beam and Dark STAB felt pretty good though.
Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Water
Timid Nature
- Aurora Veil
- Freeze-Dry
- Encore
- Moonblast
This replaced Darkrai and was definitely the most successful iteration of the team so far. I attribute this to Aurora Veil allowing my Raging Bolt to set-up more freely, as well as the Ice/Fairy typing. Immunity from Dragon moves made switching in quite easy, and would allow me to either threaten the opposing Dragon with Freeze-Dry/Moonblast and setup Aurora Veil. The set is Smogon's sample set with Snowscape changed to Moonblast for the strong Fairy STAB, however I can definitely see where Snowscape would've come in handy. I peaked in the mid 1400s with this team pretty easily, although my lack of competitive knowledge is definitely my larger problem at the moment. The main reason I changed this mon was that it was yet another mon on the team weak to Ground, and as I passed 1400 elo I wasn't getting the 'free' Aurora Veils I had relied on previously with lower-skilled players. My opponents were often punishing my Ground weakness much more effectively than before too. The Snow weather also didn't really benefit the rest of my team.
Rillaboom @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Atk / 52 Spe
Tera Type: Grass
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Low Kick
I used this mon to replace Alolan Ninetales and almost immediately dropped from the 1400s to the 1100s. The reasoning behind this pick was the Grass typing alongside the Grassy Surge dampening EQs against the rest of the team. The Grassy Glide was useful for proper priority on the team, although I found the rest of the set somewhat lacking. I attribute this to my lack of knowledge/experience with the mon mainly, and was able to find some success with it on another team with the Choice Band variant. I found that the Grassy Surge didn't dampen the EQs as much as I expected, but the passive healing at the end of each turn was very helpful for the rest of the team.
> 
this Mon provides a more sturdy ground resist and can be be and infuriating mon for 
to face given the chance to burn. Moltres also provides an answer to physcal sets of 
that 
tend to struggle with.
provides a solid ghost resist and help apply pressure offensively via future sight. I opted for black glasses to fully optimize its offensive potential. (If you find status annoying you can opt for lum berry as well)
a pivot set as I feel it’s more in line with the structure of your team it proves yet another pivot for offensive momentum
and