Team Building Process:
I started this team with the idea of using Machamp similar to how he was used in DP, as an Anti-lead. I then added Swords Dance/Sub BP Celebi in order to switch in Machamp more easily and ensure wallbreaking +2 Atk. I also added Mega Lopunny to serve as a second recipient from Celebi. Mega Lopunny has the speed to sweep after a Sword Dance boost, and also enjoys sub passes in order to switch in more easily.
I then added specially defensive Heatran which has great defensive synergy with Celebi. Heatran is also a great counter to Talonflame and Mega Venusaur, who would otherwise destroy my team. These 4, seem to be the backbone of my team. As for the remaining two Pokemon, I've tried several and found the best two to be Landorous-T and Rotom-W. However, I am still open to suggestions.
The Team:
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spd
Bold Nature
- Swords Dance
- Substitue
- Baton Pass
- Recover
The given Spd EV's allow Celebi to setup Sub's on Spec's Keldeos. The remaining Def EV's allow Celebi to counter to Mega Medicham and Mega Lopunny as well. As for the moves, Baton Pass is the key to this set, allowing Celebi to pass Substitute or Swords Dance. With great defensive capabilities and no fear of status, Celebi switches on most any Stall Pokemon and a large number of offensive threats. Against stall, Celebi can pass Swords Dance, and versus offensive teams, Celebi can pass Substitutes. Recover allows Celebi to be used throughout the match.
Two important notes here: Yes, Celebi is outspeed by Bisharp, but Substitute allows Celebi to deal with Bisharp switches. Also, Celebi is Taunt bait, but I rarely find myself trying to setup with Celebi against common Taunt users.
Machamp @ Assault Vest
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dynamic Punch
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Bullet Punch
Machamp serves as my wall breaker and counter to stall teams. Dynamic Punch is the core of this set, often allowing Machamp to muscle his way past defensive cores or unfavorable opponents. Knock Off provides great coverage against Ghost types, as well as withering down stall teams. Stone Edge with perfect accuacy is great for beating Charizard and Volcarona, as well as other flying types. Lastly, I opted for Bullet Punch to finish off weak foes and beat Focus Sash users.
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Frustration
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
Mega Lopunny serves as my solution to Hyper Offense teams. The set is pretty standard. Fake Out allows me to consistently chip away damage after switching in safely with Celebi. Ice Punch is to beat Tank Chomp and Lando-T on the switch in.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Spd / 68 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Protect
Heatran is my primary special wall. Lava Plume is the primary STAB able to burn common counters on the switch in. Heatran typically lures in bulky water types that Lopunny and Machamp cannot muscle past. Toxic is used to weaken these bulky water types. Taunt is used to allow Heatran to beat the stall Pokemon with Toxic and stop Mega Venu from using Sleep Powder or Leech Seed (the given speed evs make heatran faster than most Mega Venu variants). Lastly, protect is used to aid recover, add toxic damage, and easy predictions for Scarf'd pokemon like Lando-T and Keldo.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
Standard set is used here. The primary choice for using Rotom-W is to allow for a bulky defensive pivot to check most physical attackers that could beat Celebi. A slow Volt-Switch allows for easy switch ins of Machamp or Lopunny as well. This set could use imrpovement
Landorous-T @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
Standard Scarf set is used here to serve as a revenge killer. U-turn allows for easy switch ins for Machamp and Lopunny. Intimidate allows Lando-T to also serve as my second defensive pivot. Improvements could be here as well, but without Lando-T my team is weak to setup sweepers.
Play Style:
The team plays like a standard balanced team. Leading with Machamp can almost always get a kill or two against Hyper Offense teams. Leading with Lopunny is generally another safe option to mega evolve and then switch to a defensive check. Heatran, Rotom, and Celebi serve as the standard water-grass-fire defensive core and allow you to deal with most common attackers. Ultimately Mega Lopunny should be able to perform a lategame sweep once common defensive pokemon are dealt with. Switching in Machamp and Lopunny as often as possible puts out tons of pressure that can muscle through even the most defensive teams.
Threat List:
1. Entry Hazards - Particularly anything more than just Stealth Rock. Without defog or rapid spin, my team is very weak to spikes and toxic spikes. I've tried using defog and rapid spin, but I haven't found any good users that fit my team well.
2. Special attackers that can beat Heatran easily - This is mainly Gengar, who can beat Heatran with Focus Blast. A few other Focus Blast users give Heatran trouble as well. Once Heatran is lost, my other special walls die quickly.
3. Strong physical attackers - Conkeldurr in particular. Given the right prediction, none of my Pokemon are safe to switch in. Knock Off beats Celebi, Drain Punch beats Rotom, and Ice Punch beats Lando-T.
Conclusions:
The team has been working great so far, but I still feel like the team could be improved. The core of Machamp, Lopunny, Celebi and Heatran has proven to be very effective with pretty much any other teammates. This core is typically weak to setup sweepers and wallbreakers, which is where Rotom and Lando-T try to fill in the gaps. However, the team is still weak to hazards and a few particular Pokemon.
Any suggestions on how to improve are greatly appreciated!
I started this team with the idea of using Machamp similar to how he was used in DP, as an Anti-lead. I then added Swords Dance/Sub BP Celebi in order to switch in Machamp more easily and ensure wallbreaking +2 Atk. I also added Mega Lopunny to serve as a second recipient from Celebi. Mega Lopunny has the speed to sweep after a Sword Dance boost, and also enjoys sub passes in order to switch in more easily.
I then added specially defensive Heatran which has great defensive synergy with Celebi. Heatran is also a great counter to Talonflame and Mega Venusaur, who would otherwise destroy my team. These 4, seem to be the backbone of my team. As for the remaining two Pokemon, I've tried several and found the best two to be Landorous-T and Rotom-W. However, I am still open to suggestions.
The Team:
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spd
Bold Nature
- Swords Dance
- Substitue
- Baton Pass
- Recover
The given Spd EV's allow Celebi to setup Sub's on Spec's Keldeos. The remaining Def EV's allow Celebi to counter to Mega Medicham and Mega Lopunny as well. As for the moves, Baton Pass is the key to this set, allowing Celebi to pass Substitute or Swords Dance. With great defensive capabilities and no fear of status, Celebi switches on most any Stall Pokemon and a large number of offensive threats. Against stall, Celebi can pass Swords Dance, and versus offensive teams, Celebi can pass Substitutes. Recover allows Celebi to be used throughout the match.
Two important notes here: Yes, Celebi is outspeed by Bisharp, but Substitute allows Celebi to deal with Bisharp switches. Also, Celebi is Taunt bait, but I rarely find myself trying to setup with Celebi against common Taunt users.
Machamp @ Assault Vest
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dynamic Punch
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
- Bullet Punch
Machamp serves as my wall breaker and counter to stall teams. Dynamic Punch is the core of this set, often allowing Machamp to muscle his way past defensive cores or unfavorable opponents. Knock Off provides great coverage against Ghost types, as well as withering down stall teams. Stone Edge with perfect accuacy is great for beating Charizard and Volcarona, as well as other flying types. Lastly, I opted for Bullet Punch to finish off weak foes and beat Focus Sash users.
Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Frustration
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
Mega Lopunny serves as my solution to Hyper Offense teams. The set is pretty standard. Fake Out allows me to consistently chip away damage after switching in safely with Celebi. Ice Punch is to beat Tank Chomp and Lando-T on the switch in.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 192 Spd / 68 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Protect
Heatran is my primary special wall. Lava Plume is the primary STAB able to burn common counters on the switch in. Heatran typically lures in bulky water types that Lopunny and Machamp cannot muscle past. Toxic is used to weaken these bulky water types. Taunt is used to allow Heatran to beat the stall Pokemon with Toxic and stop Mega Venu from using Sleep Powder or Leech Seed (the given speed evs make heatran faster than most Mega Venu variants). Lastly, protect is used to aid recover, add toxic damage, and easy predictions for Scarf'd pokemon like Lando-T and Keldo.
Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
Standard set is used here. The primary choice for using Rotom-W is to allow for a bulky defensive pivot to check most physical attackers that could beat Celebi. A slow Volt-Switch allows for easy switch ins of Machamp or Lopunny as well. This set could use imrpovement
Landorous-T @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 24 Def / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge
Standard Scarf set is used here to serve as a revenge killer. U-turn allows for easy switch ins for Machamp and Lopunny. Intimidate allows Lando-T to also serve as my second defensive pivot. Improvements could be here as well, but without Lando-T my team is weak to setup sweepers.
Play Style:
The team plays like a standard balanced team. Leading with Machamp can almost always get a kill or two against Hyper Offense teams. Leading with Lopunny is generally another safe option to mega evolve and then switch to a defensive check. Heatran, Rotom, and Celebi serve as the standard water-grass-fire defensive core and allow you to deal with most common attackers. Ultimately Mega Lopunny should be able to perform a lategame sweep once common defensive pokemon are dealt with. Switching in Machamp and Lopunny as often as possible puts out tons of pressure that can muscle through even the most defensive teams.
Threat List:
1. Entry Hazards - Particularly anything more than just Stealth Rock. Without defog or rapid spin, my team is very weak to spikes and toxic spikes. I've tried using defog and rapid spin, but I haven't found any good users that fit my team well.
2. Special attackers that can beat Heatran easily - This is mainly Gengar, who can beat Heatran with Focus Blast. A few other Focus Blast users give Heatran trouble as well. Once Heatran is lost, my other special walls die quickly.
3. Strong physical attackers - Conkeldurr in particular. Given the right prediction, none of my Pokemon are safe to switch in. Knock Off beats Celebi, Drain Punch beats Rotom, and Ice Punch beats Lando-T.
Conclusions:
The team has been working great so far, but I still feel like the team could be improved. The core of Machamp, Lopunny, Celebi and Heatran has proven to be very effective with pretty much any other teammates. This core is typically weak to setup sweepers and wallbreakers, which is where Rotom and Lando-T try to fill in the gaps. However, the team is still weak to hazards and a few particular Pokemon.
Any suggestions on how to improve are greatly appreciated!
