I decided to build a team around Amoonguss in Gen 7 (as it is the meta game I’ve had the most success with). I chose Amoonguss for the core of the team because of the immense defensive pressure it can exert between its recovery and threatening status, allowing me to gain a lot of momentum from the switches it forces and pivot into allies to get into a good position to finish the game. I used a Magearna to finish the defensive core, since it’s really good at checking things like Greninja that might threaten Amoonguss. The rest of the team was built around the support these two offer.
Balloonguss (Amoonguss) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Def / 204 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Toxic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sludge Bomb
Standard Amoonguss set. With its Grass/Poison typing, it can deal with certain ground types that threaten Magearna. It also forms a great pivoting Regenerator core with Tornadus. I chose Amoonguss (as I mentioned before) for its great longevity and threatening status. I chose Toxic over Stun Spore because I found it better for wearing down thicker opponents. HP Fire let’s it counter Ferrothorn (a Pokemon I personally despise playing against) surprisingly well. The EV spread is the basic Smogon suggested spread.
Gumball machine (Magearna) @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Def / 232 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 6 Spe
- Heart Swap
- Pain Split
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
I selected Magearna as the second half of my defensive core for two reasons. First, Magearna is awesome. It fits on just about every Gen 7 team easily. Second, it helps tank hits from Ice-, Flying-, and Psychic-types for Amoonguss, as well as specific threats like Greninja, who could wear it down with neutral hits from Dark Pulse. With Volt Switch, Magearna completes the team’s pivoting core. I chose the Pain Split Pivot set because it contributes to all the pivoting the team does, and gives it good longevity at the expense of healthier opponents. By this point, my core seems to struggle a lot with Ground- and Fire-types…
Hangnail (Garchomp) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Garchomp makes for a useful Fire resist. It is also my most potent wallbreaker and only hazard setter. I chose it for its ability to counter Fire-types and provide the offensive pressure my walls are lacking. For the moveset, I felt that EdgeQuake is all Garchomp really needs to do damage. For this team, I would rather have an offensive hazard setter than a mixed attacker with Draco Meteor. I used Groundium Z over Rockium Z because of the STAB backing up the damage from Tectonic Rage.
has fancy hair (Tornadus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog
Tornadus Therian is a key piece of this team for many reasons. Being Ground immune helps with the greatest problem my team faces up to this point. It’s hazard control with Defog let’s me pivot to my heart’s content, which this team does a lot, you may notice. Regenerator and U-Turn let it form a solid and versatile Regenerator core with Amoonguss. On top of that, it has great offensive pressure with Hurricane that can help me land a few good hits or build momentum. Anyways, there is nothing extraordinary about his moveset. Just a basic pivoting birb.
Merry Christmas (Xurkitree) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Energy Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Xurkitree is the most unlikely pick for my team, but I noticed that its base 83 Speed was more than enough for a scarfer, so I decided to use him as speed control. Choice Scarf Xurkitree fits pretty well on my team, since it handles Steel/Flying-types and most other physical walls (especially the omnipresent bulky Water-types) for Garchomp, as well as contributing to all the pivoting my team does with Volt Switch. I chose Xurkitree over Tapu Koko for my fast electric type for a number of reasons. Firstly, he is faster with a Choice Scarf . Secondly, he counters things like Greninja better, since your opponent always knows a Tapu Koko will out speed their Greninja, but won’t be so fast to switch out of something they may be able to outspeed and KO, like Xurkitree (which they can’t because of his scarf). Thirdly, Xurkitree’s Special Attack is much, much higher, and Beast Boost can be used to snowball and even break through thick, resistant opponents. Lastly, he learns Energy ball to better check Ground-types like Gastrodon.
Aeroplane (Latias) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Roost
Even with Tornadus, My team still has a hard time standing up to powerful Ground-types like Garchomp, Landorus, Gliscor and the like. I also feel very insecure with only one hazard remover. To help with this, I chose Mega Latias. This guy is also a useful Fire resist and can freely switch into Earthquakes. I decided to stray from the original Smogon set because it wasn’t dealing enough damage with only attacks, so I used Toxic. Apart from that, the set is pretty standard. I don’t think Latias is essential for my team, but it was the best I could find.
I’ve experimented with this team, and it works pretty well, however I have noticed a number of problems. As I mentioned before, my defensive core struggles with Fire and Ground types. They also both have a specially defensive EV spread, so my team has trouble with heavy physical attackers. Garchomp never gets a good chance to set up, and is usually the first one to go down, and the team needs either better support for Garchomp, or a replacement for him; most likely something bulkier like Gliscor. Overall, my main problems are Fire types, an unfulfilled sixth team slot filled by Latias (any possible replacement needs to be ground immune unless I end up using Gliscor, and have hazard removal), inability to properly use Garchomp, and trouble with physical attackers. I appreciate any suggestions to optimize this team, since it is one of my first successful teams.
Balloonguss (Amoonguss) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Def / 204 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spore
- Toxic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Sludge Bomb
Standard Amoonguss set. With its Grass/Poison typing, it can deal with certain ground types that threaten Magearna. It also forms a great pivoting Regenerator core with Tornadus. I chose Amoonguss (as I mentioned before) for its great longevity and threatening status. I chose Toxic over Stun Spore because I found it better for wearing down thicker opponents. HP Fire let’s it counter Ferrothorn (a Pokemon I personally despise playing against) surprisingly well. The EV spread is the basic Smogon suggested spread.
Gumball machine (Magearna) @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Def / 232 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 6 Spe
- Heart Swap
- Pain Split
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
I selected Magearna as the second half of my defensive core for two reasons. First, Magearna is awesome. It fits on just about every Gen 7 team easily. Second, it helps tank hits from Ice-, Flying-, and Psychic-types for Amoonguss, as well as specific threats like Greninja, who could wear it down with neutral hits from Dark Pulse. With Volt Switch, Magearna completes the team’s pivoting core. I chose the Pain Split Pivot set because it contributes to all the pivoting the team does, and gives it good longevity at the expense of healthier opponents. By this point, my core seems to struggle a lot with Ground- and Fire-types…
Hangnail (Garchomp) @ Groundium Z
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Garchomp makes for a useful Fire resist. It is also my most potent wallbreaker and only hazard setter. I chose it for its ability to counter Fire-types and provide the offensive pressure my walls are lacking. For the moveset, I felt that EdgeQuake is all Garchomp really needs to do damage. For this team, I would rather have an offensive hazard setter than a mixed attacker with Draco Meteor. I used Groundium Z over Rockium Z because of the STAB backing up the damage from Tectonic Rage.
has fancy hair (Tornadus-Therian) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Defog
Tornadus Therian is a key piece of this team for many reasons. Being Ground immune helps with the greatest problem my team faces up to this point. It’s hazard control with Defog let’s me pivot to my heart’s content, which this team does a lot, you may notice. Regenerator and U-Turn let it form a solid and versatile Regenerator core with Amoonguss. On top of that, it has great offensive pressure with Hurricane that can help me land a few good hits or build momentum. Anyways, there is nothing extraordinary about his moveset. Just a basic pivoting birb.
Merry Christmas (Xurkitree) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Energy Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Xurkitree is the most unlikely pick for my team, but I noticed that its base 83 Speed was more than enough for a scarfer, so I decided to use him as speed control. Choice Scarf Xurkitree fits pretty well on my team, since it handles Steel/Flying-types and most other physical walls (especially the omnipresent bulky Water-types) for Garchomp, as well as contributing to all the pivoting my team does with Volt Switch. I chose Xurkitree over Tapu Koko for my fast electric type for a number of reasons. Firstly, he is faster with a Choice Scarf . Secondly, he counters things like Greninja better, since your opponent always knows a Tapu Koko will out speed their Greninja, but won’t be so fast to switch out of something they may be able to outspeed and KO, like Xurkitree (which they can’t because of his scarf). Thirdly, Xurkitree’s Special Attack is much, much higher, and Beast Boost can be used to snowball and even break through thick, resistant opponents. Lastly, he learns Energy ball to better check Ground-types like Gastrodon.
Aeroplane (Latias) @ Latiasite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Roost
Even with Tornadus, My team still has a hard time standing up to powerful Ground-types like Garchomp, Landorus, Gliscor and the like. I also feel very insecure with only one hazard remover. To help with this, I chose Mega Latias. This guy is also a useful Fire resist and can freely switch into Earthquakes. I decided to stray from the original Smogon set because it wasn’t dealing enough damage with only attacks, so I used Toxic. Apart from that, the set is pretty standard. I don’t think Latias is essential for my team, but it was the best I could find.
I’ve experimented with this team, and it works pretty well, however I have noticed a number of problems. As I mentioned before, my defensive core struggles with Fire and Ground types. They also both have a specially defensive EV spread, so my team has trouble with heavy physical attackers. Garchomp never gets a good chance to set up, and is usually the first one to go down, and the team needs either better support for Garchomp, or a replacement for him; most likely something bulkier like Gliscor. Overall, my main problems are Fire types, an unfulfilled sixth team slot filled by Latias (any possible replacement needs to be ground immune unless I end up using Gliscor, and have hazard removal), inability to properly use Garchomp, and trouble with physical attackers. I appreciate any suggestions to optimize this team, since it is one of my first successful teams.
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I like Charizard-Mega-X more here. With its excellent dual-type, it will give you a check to common fires I mentionned before. Moreover, especially with Dragon Dance, Charizard is way less passive and put a lot of pressure on any builds. 
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With the addition of Charizard-Mega-X, I believe a lot in Z-Outrage. Indeed, that one nuke button is extremely useful to bait usual switch to Garchomp such as Hippodown, Latias-Mega or Landorus-Therian, which open the path for Charizard-Mega-X. Moreover, without Stone Edge, Garchomp is now walled by Celesteela, Tapu Bulu or Skarmory but, fortunatly, Charizard-Mega-X is able to abuse all of them.
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With the changes I implemented, the new team is much more faster and, therefore, I think Assault Vest on Amoonguss is a more logical pick as, with that item, you trade longevity with black sludge for a studier defensive answer in the short-term, especially for threat such as Greninja-Ash or Tapu Koko