Not much of an introduction this time around. I find Durant really cool, and wanted to build a team around it so...here it is. Help and feedback is always appreciated. The tea is dong ok, but I feel it could do a lot better.
Durant (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- X-Scissor
- Crunch
Durant is a really overlooked Pokemon in my opinion. It has pretty decent stats, especially when it comes to its Attack and Speed, and its typing leaves it with merely one weaknesses. Not only that, but when used right, Durant can be a monster thanks to its Hustle Ability. Now, for those of you who don't know, hustle increases the power of physical moves by a whopping 50% for the cost of 20% accuracy. Now, that may not seem like a bad trade off, right? A little risky, but worth it. Well, when combined with Hone Claws, not only does Durant get even more powerful, but now you don't have to worry about missing your moves anymore. Add on a Life Orb, and you have yourself one nuclear powered ant.
Iron Head and X-Scissor are Duran't two STAB moves, hitting a large variety of Pokemon for Super Effective Damage, and a lot for neutral damage as well. The last move slot was a tie between Crunch and Superpower. Both hit really hard, but in the end I went with Crunch for a few reasons. Both of Durant's STABS hit the same targets as Superpower does, with added STAB bonus. Also, Durant doesn't like the attack and defense drop. So, in the end, Crunch, which also gives Durant the ability to hit Ghost types, is the coverage move I decided to go for.
Ninetales (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Nasty Plot
- Flamethrower
- Energy Ball
Remember how I said Durant has only one weakness? Well, that weakness just so happens to be one of the most common types out there, and it is 4x weak to said weakness, making it unable to take, really any attack of that type. And that would be Fire. This is where the lovely Ninetails comes in. With Flash Fire, Ninetails is able to safely switch into any Fire-type attack coming Durants away, and have her own Fire attacks boosted in the process. Combined with good Speed and Special Attack stats, Ninetails makes a great partner for Durant, one of the best in my opinion.
This Nine-Tails has a couple ways of working. If she switches in on a choiced Fire moved, obviously a switch out will be forced. She can either set up with Nasty Plot, or cripple whatever comes in with a Will-O-Wisp. Flamethrower is the STAB of choice for this vengeful fox, providing decent power with good accuracy. Energy Ball is the coverage move of choice, as it hits Water, Rock, and Ground types that would cause Ninetails issues.
Cresselia @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Moonlight
- Moonblast
Screens are a great way to help Pokemon set up for a sweep. And so, armed with her Light Clay, Cresselia comes to us to aid in that regard. Having both Reflect and Light Screen up really helps Durant set up with a Hone Claws, or even two, and hit back hard. It can also aid Ninetails setting up Nasty Plots. Cresselia is also great thanks to its Ground Immunity, which Ninetails i severely weak too. Moonlight works to keep Cresselia healthy, while I chose Moonblast over Psychic so hit Dark types that switch in on it, thinking they can easily take her out. The EV spread I have here is for a physically defensive set. Max investment in HP and Def help Cresselia setting up screens multiple times, especially with Moonlight.
Ambipom (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Return
- Low Kick
Ambipom is a great wall breaker, as it has a variety of moves to choose from, and when combined with Choice Band, hits hard and fast. Knock Off is such an important move in today's meta game, with Eviolite users everywhere, especially in RU. U-Turn, hits the likes of Malamar to the point where is usually OHKOs, while Return is the STAB of choice. Low Kick is also good against Rock and Steel types that try and switch in on a predicted Return of Knock Off. EV spread is pretty standered I'd say, making Ambipom fast and powerful.
Hitmonlee (M) @ Normal Gem
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Mach Punch
- Earthquake
- High Jump Kick
Rapid Spin, Normal Gem Hitmonlee is great as it not only provides me with a great Rapid Spinner, but with Unburden activates, gives me a devastatingly fast Pokemon that can race circles around most other Pokemon for days. Rapid Spin is, of course, what activates Normal Gem and gets rid of pesky hazards in my way. While Stealth Rocks aren't the biggest problem, Ninetails does not appreciate them, and the entire team does not appreciate the likes of Sticky Web.
Mach Punch helps get rid of weakened Scarfers, while Earthquake provides decent coverage (And is a great move to go for on a suspected Ghost switch). High Jump Kick is the main STAB move here. Combined with Hitmonlee's speed, HJK raw power, is a very dangerous partnership to tango with.
Rotom-Mow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Rotom, in any form really, is a great Choice Scarf user. However, Mow fits in well with this team, hitting Water and Flying types well resisting Electric attack 4x. Volt Switch allows Rotom to be a great scout, while Leaf Storm is the main STAB, getting rid of a variety of troublesome Pokemon, like Dugtrio and Rhyperior. Thunderbolt is the secondary STAB move here to hit Flying types that Rotom outspeed thanks to being scarfed. Finally, Trick is a great way to mess with set-up sweepers, or defensive Pokemon such as Gligar, robbing them of their Eviolite, and locking them into something like Stealth Rocks.
Durant (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Hustle
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Iron Head
- X-Scissor
- Crunch
Durant is a really overlooked Pokemon in my opinion. It has pretty decent stats, especially when it comes to its Attack and Speed, and its typing leaves it with merely one weaknesses. Not only that, but when used right, Durant can be a monster thanks to its Hustle Ability. Now, for those of you who don't know, hustle increases the power of physical moves by a whopping 50% for the cost of 20% accuracy. Now, that may not seem like a bad trade off, right? A little risky, but worth it. Well, when combined with Hone Claws, not only does Durant get even more powerful, but now you don't have to worry about missing your moves anymore. Add on a Life Orb, and you have yourself one nuclear powered ant.
Iron Head and X-Scissor are Duran't two STAB moves, hitting a large variety of Pokemon for Super Effective Damage, and a lot for neutral damage as well. The last move slot was a tie between Crunch and Superpower. Both hit really hard, but in the end I went with Crunch for a few reasons. Both of Durant's STABS hit the same targets as Superpower does, with added STAB bonus. Also, Durant doesn't like the attack and defense drop. So, in the end, Crunch, which also gives Durant the ability to hit Ghost types, is the coverage move I decided to go for.
Ninetales (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Nasty Plot
- Flamethrower
- Energy Ball
Remember how I said Durant has only one weakness? Well, that weakness just so happens to be one of the most common types out there, and it is 4x weak to said weakness, making it unable to take, really any attack of that type. And that would be Fire. This is where the lovely Ninetails comes in. With Flash Fire, Ninetails is able to safely switch into any Fire-type attack coming Durants away, and have her own Fire attacks boosted in the process. Combined with good Speed and Special Attack stats, Ninetails makes a great partner for Durant, one of the best in my opinion.
This Nine-Tails has a couple ways of working. If she switches in on a choiced Fire moved, obviously a switch out will be forced. She can either set up with Nasty Plot, or cripple whatever comes in with a Will-O-Wisp. Flamethrower is the STAB of choice for this vengeful fox, providing decent power with good accuracy. Energy Ball is the coverage move of choice, as it hits Water, Rock, and Ground types that would cause Ninetails issues.
Cresselia @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Moonlight
- Moonblast
Screens are a great way to help Pokemon set up for a sweep. And so, armed with her Light Clay, Cresselia comes to us to aid in that regard. Having both Reflect and Light Screen up really helps Durant set up with a Hone Claws, or even two, and hit back hard. It can also aid Ninetails setting up Nasty Plots. Cresselia is also great thanks to its Ground Immunity, which Ninetails i severely weak too. Moonlight works to keep Cresselia healthy, while I chose Moonblast over Psychic so hit Dark types that switch in on it, thinking they can easily take her out. The EV spread I have here is for a physically defensive set. Max investment in HP and Def help Cresselia setting up screens multiple times, especially with Moonlight.
Ambipom (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Return
- Low Kick
Ambipom is a great wall breaker, as it has a variety of moves to choose from, and when combined with Choice Band, hits hard and fast. Knock Off is such an important move in today's meta game, with Eviolite users everywhere, especially in RU. U-Turn, hits the likes of Malamar to the point where is usually OHKOs, while Return is the STAB of choice. Low Kick is also good against Rock and Steel types that try and switch in on a predicted Return of Knock Off. EV spread is pretty standered I'd say, making Ambipom fast and powerful.
Hitmonlee (M) @ Normal Gem
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Mach Punch
- Earthquake
- High Jump Kick
Rapid Spin, Normal Gem Hitmonlee is great as it not only provides me with a great Rapid Spinner, but with Unburden activates, gives me a devastatingly fast Pokemon that can race circles around most other Pokemon for days. Rapid Spin is, of course, what activates Normal Gem and gets rid of pesky hazards in my way. While Stealth Rocks aren't the biggest problem, Ninetails does not appreciate them, and the entire team does not appreciate the likes of Sticky Web.
Mach Punch helps get rid of weakened Scarfers, while Earthquake provides decent coverage (And is a great move to go for on a suspected Ghost switch). High Jump Kick is the main STAB move here. Combined with Hitmonlee's speed, HJK raw power, is a very dangerous partnership to tango with.
Rotom-Mow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Thunderbolt
- Trick
Rotom, in any form really, is a great Choice Scarf user. However, Mow fits in well with this team, hitting Water and Flying types well resisting Electric attack 4x. Volt Switch allows Rotom to be a great scout, while Leaf Storm is the main STAB, getting rid of a variety of troublesome Pokemon, like Dugtrio and Rhyperior. Thunderbolt is the secondary STAB move here to hit Flying types that Rotom outspeed thanks to being scarfed. Finally, Trick is a great way to mess with set-up sweepers, or defensive Pokemon such as Gligar, robbing them of their Eviolite, and locking them into something like Stealth Rocks.
