You are challenged by Champion Cynthia!
Hello people of Smogon! I like to have fun while battling so I like to use certain types of Pokemon with a theme or Pokemon of a certain trainer and I decided to base a team off one of my favorite trainers, Cynthia! Cynthia makes her appearance in Pokemon as the Elite Four Champion in DPP with her seemingly legendary look IMO. Now since I've restricted myself to her Pokemon only, I decided to just use her team in DPP but changed up the movesets a bit. I'd like to keep using her Pokemon only that basically consists of the ones I'm about to introduce, Glaceon, Gastrodon, Eelektross, and Braviary. The challenge here was trying to find movesets that could work well with each other. I came up with this and peaked at 1860 rating before taking some hax filled games such as 3 crits in a row from an opposing Hydreigon's DM on my Roserade and Milotic to drop me a good amount of points, etc. Anyways without further ado here's the team!
The Team!
Garchomp @ Focus Sash
Nature: Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
When looking through the team, I needed a rock setter and to my initial disappointment I didn't see a decent rock setter or one that could even set rocks for that matter. That was until battling for a couple of matches until I stumbled upon an opposing Garchomp lead which wasn't effective against me before as I lead with ScarfRoserade but gave me an idea for a good rock setter. Garchomp has just enough speed to outspeed other common rock setters like Jirachi and lets me hold momentum from the beginning. Stealth Rock is a must for this set and team as it's my only source of residual damage. Outrage is a hard hitting STAB that OHKO-2HKO's most things that don't resist it and is all but mandatory for any Garchomp. Earthquake allows me to smash opposing Jirachi leads and other Steels that may try to come in to swallow an Outrage excluding Ferrothorn. Fire Blast smacks Forretress and Ferrothorn for a clean 2HKO assuming Forretress has Sturdy intact. I opted for Rough Skin over Sand Veil for a situational moment early in the battle that happens quite often where I'll be matched up with someone who leads with Forretress or sends it in for their lead in where I'll throw up rocks then Fire Blast before the opposing Forry can spin so when they Rapid Spin with 1% or so, they aren't allowed to spin away the Rocks as Forry has gone down before Rapid Spin has resolved. The EVs are straight forward, Max Speed to outspeed common leads like Jirachi and the genie trio while maximizing Attack to hit as hard as possible. Garchomp is the best lead for the team and does what it has to do most of the time; Set rocks and set the tempo early.
Spiritomb @ Blackglasses
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
- Pursuit
- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch
- Will-o-Wisp
Spiritomb is my Pursuit trapper and Revenge killer and in some cases can sweep lategame with a strong Sucker Punch. Spiritomb handles Espeon and Xatu that may try to come in and bounce rocks only to take heavy damage from Pursuit. I was thinking about making this a Band or Special set but found this to be much more effective as a emergency answer to threats like Alakazam and such that may hurt the team. Double Priority may seem dumb but people may work around Sucker Punch so Shadow Sneak acts as a secondary check in the case the opponent can predict and can call for mindgames as the opponent tends to attack once I reveal Shadow Sneak. Will-o-Wisp is a great support move to cripple Steel types that come in a lot and acts as a soft check to things like Terrakion and co. 252 HP EVs to maximizing it's bulk and 252 Atk EVs to maximize it's attacks. No point trying to allocate EVs anywhere else as Spiritomb needs all the Attack EVs it can get and it's too slow to outspeed anything important. Spiritomb does it's job serving as an emergency check to weakened foes.
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Nature: Calm (+SpD, -Atk)
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 132 SpD / 4 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
Togekiss is blessed with a great ability although annoying if you're facing it in Serene Grace so why not utilize it to the fullest? This set works just about the same way as HaxRachi but has a more reliable recovery and a great boosting move that makes this an offensive threat in a hurry. Nasty Plot allows Togekiss to boost it's uninvested SpA into threatening levels that can sweep unprepared teams. Air Slash is a must allowing Togekiss to flinchhax opposing Pokemon. Paired with Thunder Wave, the opposing Pokemon will just about roll over and die and perhaps cause the opponent to ragequit. Roost allows it to heal off damage it's taken and continue to cause raging Pokemon trainers. EV's maximize Togekiss' great mixed bulk as no SpA investment is really needed with a Nasty Plot boost. 4 Speed EVs allows it to speed creep on uninvested base 80 speed like Politoed and such. Togekiss performs it's duty as an annoyer very well and causes ragequits as well as Jirachi does.
Milotic @ Life Orb
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power Flying
- Recover
Milotic here is usually seen as a bulky, bulky Pokemon in UU but up in OU I wanted to take a twist with it and turn it into a tank. With a respectable base 100 SpA boosted by Life Orb, Milotic does a decent job in dealing damage. Hydro Pump backed by STAB and Life Orb does amazing damage and with rain ever so popular, it is boosted even more. Underestimate the power of STAB + LO + Rain Hydro Pump and you'll for sure pay. Ice Beam catches the likes of the genies on the switch and dangerous Dragons as the lack of a bulky steel can hurt. I opted for Hidden Power Flying over Hidden Power Grass as this team tends to have problems with Ludicolo and Toxicroak in rain if Togekiss is weakened or down. Recover lets it heal off LO recoil to fire off more hits. Milotic here serves great as my pivot along with Togekiss in taking most of the hits for the team.
Roserade @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power Fire
- Sleep Powder
Sorry, couldn't find a picture with Cynthia and Roserade in it
. Anyways IMO, all teams need a dedicated revenge killer and Roserade here was my choice for revenge killer. It has respectable speed along with great Special Attack with a base 125 SpA. STAB Leaf Storm smacks anything that doesn't resist it or isn't named Chansey, Blissey or Snorlax. Sludge Bomb is a great secondary STAB move that hits for decent damage on neutral targets. I'm thinking about swapping HP Fire for HP Ice to revenge kill Dragons but I'll stick with HP Fire in the meantime. This allows me to hit Steels that hard counter this set otherwise. Sleep Powder allows me to shutdown problematic Pokemon and serves as an emergency check to boosting Pokemon like Nasty Plot Azelf although not popular anymore and such. EVs are straightforward to maximize speed and special attack. I'm thinking about changing to Modest however as I don't really lose out on much other than being slower to things like ScarfRotom-W which can't do much to Roserade. Roserade is a great revenge killer for this team and does it's job well.
Lucario @ Air Balloon
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Extremespeed
- Bullet Punch
- Close Combat
SDLuke, a flagship set from DPP which was extremely powerful in DPP has lost it's strength but is still great for this team. Luke is only used at late-game situations when the opposing team is battered and +2 ESpeed can proceed to sweep. Swords Dance is a must here as otherwise non-STAB ESpeed won't do much as Luke's base-Attack is good but not great. I opted for Dual Priority as otherwise Gengar would be a problem as it's immune to both Close Combat and ESpeed. Close Combat smacks Ferrothorn and other steels who would otherwise wall this set entirely. EVs are standard to max speed and attack with Adamant nature as the speed boost wouldn't really help with Dual Priority as the Attack boost is much more beneficial. Air Balloon gives it a temporary immunity it can really use. Overall Lucario works well as a late-game cleaner and usually is my last hope when things go awry.
Well there's the team right here, I don't mind swapping the team for other of Cynthia's Pokemon. I know I can shift this team into a defensive one by swapping Lucario for Gastrodon or something so if that's a better path then let me know. Anyways thanks for reading and hope to look over everyones advice!
Hello people of Smogon! I like to have fun while battling so I like to use certain types of Pokemon with a theme or Pokemon of a certain trainer and I decided to base a team off one of my favorite trainers, Cynthia! Cynthia makes her appearance in Pokemon as the Elite Four Champion in DPP with her seemingly legendary look IMO. Now since I've restricted myself to her Pokemon only, I decided to just use her team in DPP but changed up the movesets a bit. I'd like to keep using her Pokemon only that basically consists of the ones I'm about to introduce, Glaceon, Gastrodon, Eelektross, and Braviary. The challenge here was trying to find movesets that could work well with each other. I came up with this and peaked at 1860 rating before taking some hax filled games such as 3 crits in a row from an opposing Hydreigon's DM on my Roserade and Milotic to drop me a good amount of points, etc. Anyways without further ado here's the team!
The Team!
Garchomp @ Focus Sash
Nature: Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
When looking through the team, I needed a rock setter and to my initial disappointment I didn't see a decent rock setter or one that could even set rocks for that matter. That was until battling for a couple of matches until I stumbled upon an opposing Garchomp lead which wasn't effective against me before as I lead with ScarfRoserade but gave me an idea for a good rock setter. Garchomp has just enough speed to outspeed other common rock setters like Jirachi and lets me hold momentum from the beginning. Stealth Rock is a must for this set and team as it's my only source of residual damage. Outrage is a hard hitting STAB that OHKO-2HKO's most things that don't resist it and is all but mandatory for any Garchomp. Earthquake allows me to smash opposing Jirachi leads and other Steels that may try to come in to swallow an Outrage excluding Ferrothorn. Fire Blast smacks Forretress and Ferrothorn for a clean 2HKO assuming Forretress has Sturdy intact. I opted for Rough Skin over Sand Veil for a situational moment early in the battle that happens quite often where I'll be matched up with someone who leads with Forretress or sends it in for their lead in where I'll throw up rocks then Fire Blast before the opposing Forry can spin so when they Rapid Spin with 1% or so, they aren't allowed to spin away the Rocks as Forry has gone down before Rapid Spin has resolved. The EVs are straight forward, Max Speed to outspeed common leads like Jirachi and the genie trio while maximizing Attack to hit as hard as possible. Garchomp is the best lead for the team and does what it has to do most of the time; Set rocks and set the tempo early.
Spiritomb @ Blackglasses
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
- Pursuit
- Shadow Sneak
- Sucker Punch
- Will-o-Wisp
Spiritomb is my Pursuit trapper and Revenge killer and in some cases can sweep lategame with a strong Sucker Punch. Spiritomb handles Espeon and Xatu that may try to come in and bounce rocks only to take heavy damage from Pursuit. I was thinking about making this a Band or Special set but found this to be much more effective as a emergency answer to threats like Alakazam and such that may hurt the team. Double Priority may seem dumb but people may work around Sucker Punch so Shadow Sneak acts as a secondary check in the case the opponent can predict and can call for mindgames as the opponent tends to attack once I reveal Shadow Sneak. Will-o-Wisp is a great support move to cripple Steel types that come in a lot and acts as a soft check to things like Terrakion and co. 252 HP EVs to maximizing it's bulk and 252 Atk EVs to maximize it's attacks. No point trying to allocate EVs anywhere else as Spiritomb needs all the Attack EVs it can get and it's too slow to outspeed anything important. Spiritomb does it's job serving as an emergency check to weakened foes.
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Nature: Calm (+SpD, -Atk)
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 132 SpD / 4 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
Togekiss is blessed with a great ability although annoying if you're facing it in Serene Grace so why not utilize it to the fullest? This set works just about the same way as HaxRachi but has a more reliable recovery and a great boosting move that makes this an offensive threat in a hurry. Nasty Plot allows Togekiss to boost it's uninvested SpA into threatening levels that can sweep unprepared teams. Air Slash is a must allowing Togekiss to flinchhax opposing Pokemon. Paired with Thunder Wave, the opposing Pokemon will just about roll over and die and perhaps cause the opponent to ragequit. Roost allows it to heal off damage it's taken and continue to cause raging Pokemon trainers. EV's maximize Togekiss' great mixed bulk as no SpA investment is really needed with a Nasty Plot boost. 4 Speed EVs allows it to speed creep on uninvested base 80 speed like Politoed and such. Togekiss performs it's duty as an annoyer very well and causes ragequits as well as Jirachi does.
Milotic @ Life Orb
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
Ability: Marvel Scale
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power Flying
- Recover
Milotic here is usually seen as a bulky, bulky Pokemon in UU but up in OU I wanted to take a twist with it and turn it into a tank. With a respectable base 100 SpA boosted by Life Orb, Milotic does a decent job in dealing damage. Hydro Pump backed by STAB and Life Orb does amazing damage and with rain ever so popular, it is boosted even more. Underestimate the power of STAB + LO + Rain Hydro Pump and you'll for sure pay. Ice Beam catches the likes of the genies on the switch and dangerous Dragons as the lack of a bulky steel can hurt. I opted for Hidden Power Flying over Hidden Power Grass as this team tends to have problems with Ludicolo and Toxicroak in rain if Togekiss is weakened or down. Recover lets it heal off LO recoil to fire off more hits. Milotic here serves great as my pivot along with Togekiss in taking most of the hits for the team.
Roserade @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power Fire
- Sleep Powder
Sorry, couldn't find a picture with Cynthia and Roserade in it
. Anyways IMO, all teams need a dedicated revenge killer and Roserade here was my choice for revenge killer. It has respectable speed along with great Special Attack with a base 125 SpA. STAB Leaf Storm smacks anything that doesn't resist it or isn't named Chansey, Blissey or Snorlax. Sludge Bomb is a great secondary STAB move that hits for decent damage on neutral targets. I'm thinking about swapping HP Fire for HP Ice to revenge kill Dragons but I'll stick with HP Fire in the meantime. This allows me to hit Steels that hard counter this set otherwise. Sleep Powder allows me to shutdown problematic Pokemon and serves as an emergency check to boosting Pokemon like Nasty Plot Azelf although not popular anymore and such. EVs are straightforward to maximize speed and special attack. I'm thinking about changing to Modest however as I don't really lose out on much other than being slower to things like ScarfRotom-W which can't do much to Roserade. Roserade is a great revenge killer for this team and does it's job well.
Lucario @ Air Balloon
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Extremespeed
- Bullet Punch
- Close Combat
SDLuke, a flagship set from DPP which was extremely powerful in DPP has lost it's strength but is still great for this team. Luke is only used at late-game situations when the opposing team is battered and +2 ESpeed can proceed to sweep. Swords Dance is a must here as otherwise non-STAB ESpeed won't do much as Luke's base-Attack is good but not great. I opted for Dual Priority as otherwise Gengar would be a problem as it's immune to both Close Combat and ESpeed. Close Combat smacks Ferrothorn and other steels who would otherwise wall this set entirely. EVs are standard to max speed and attack with Adamant nature as the speed boost wouldn't really help with Dual Priority as the Attack boost is much more beneficial. Air Balloon gives it a temporary immunity it can really use. Overall Lucario works well as a late-game cleaner and usually is my last hope when things go awry.
Well there's the team right here, I don't mind swapping the team for other of Cynthia's Pokemon. I know I can shift this team into a defensive one by swapping Lucario for Gastrodon or something so if that's a better path then let me know. Anyways thanks for reading and hope to look over everyones advice!
