Hey guys, long time lurker first time poster. I've been battling competitively since late DPP and every gen have developed a team centred around one of my favourite pokes, Gyarados. I had quite a bit of success with my team last gen, but this gen have found it difficult to adapt to the new metagame as efficiently, with threats such as sucker punch Kanga, the unbanning of scarf Genesect and kings shield Aegilsash. I've been going alright on the ladder with this team but as I've gotten to the 1800-2000 ranked players, the team just doesn't seem to work as efficiently as it should. If you guys have any advice as to how to make this a truly powerhouse team it would be greatly appreciated!
At a glance
Team Building Process
Before I get into the in depth analysis of each pokemon, I'll give a brief overview of how I reached my current 6. I originally started with a FWG core of Gyarados, M-Venasaur and ScarfChandelure, supported by AssaultVest Exca for spin support, Stealth Rock Tyranitar and Rotom-H for w/wisp support on threats such as Aeglisash and Kanga. I really loved the synergy with Rotom-H, M-Venasaur and Gyara, but found Chandy was a wasted slot as I had Rotom-H, and Tyranitar wasn't really helping the teams large water weakness. Chandy was replaced with a Scarfed Gengar (this was before gengarite ban to check megagar), Tyranitar was replaced by Azumarill for priority and a dark/water/dragon resistance and Exca was given stealth rocks and an air balloon. I was having problems with Rotom-W however, as despite being countered by Venasaur, it would never stay in for me to kill it, and destroyed Gyara, Azu, Exca and Rotom-H. Because of this, I opted to make Gyara my mega for the mold breaker earthquake and remove Excadrill due to his water weakness. Venasaur was replaced by Ferrothorn to maintain stealth rocks and aid to the team defensively with t-wave, and Exca was replaced by defog Latios. This lead my team to where it is now.
The Team
Dragoon (Gyarados) (M) @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 174 Spd / 252 Atk / 82 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Substitute
EVs allow me to outspeed Starmie and Absol. I generally prefer leftovers for recovery, especially with a sub, but Rotom-W was giving me too much hassle. Considering dropping Sub for another coverage move, but pranksters such as Klefki and Sableye keep me awake at night. I considered moxie but I think the thing that sets Gyarados apart from other DD Sweepers is his unique typing and bulk, so stuck with intimidate.
Jasper (Gengar) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Focus Blast
- Trick
Originally my check to MegaGengar, I chose to keep him as Scarf is by far one of 'Gar's least common sets and provides many surprise KO's to things such as Starmie, MegaZam, the Lati twins and weakened ScarfGenesect. Trick is awesome against things such as Blissey, Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D and Gliscor and W/Wisp serves as a surprise to Sucker Punch Kangas.
Boggy (Azumarill) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Superpower
Not too familiar with using Azumarill in the past, but with steel no longer resisting Dark and my teams severe lack of priority, Azu has served well on my team. Pretty much hits similar things as my Gyarados just with priority and different resistances. Have considered dropping him but have struggled thinking of any pokes to replace him with, plus he appreciates Rotom's rain support.
MegaToaster (Rotom-Heat) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 232 HP / 220 Def / 56 SDef
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Overheat
- Rain Dance
Definitely not your standard Rotom set, Rotom-H is a pokemon I only really ever discovered this Gen and I have fallen in love with it. It has great synergy with Gyarados barring that rocks weakness and counters Talonflame, Genesect and Aegilsash which are dominating usage atm. Although Gengar also has W/Wisp, its a physically geared meta atm and alot of players don't expect two users of the move. He originally had a damp rock but with a lack of recovery and a stealth rock weakness, he just got worn down too easily. Rain Dance and no speed evs allow for a slow voltswitch into Gyara, who greatly appreciates the rain boosted waterfalls.
Barbara (Ferrothorn) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Power Whip
My primary special wall and rounding out my FWG core, this thing eats any special move not named flamethrower. Her natural physical bulk means she tanks any physical move not super effective as well, and the iron barbs mean players are unlikely to poke her head on anyway. Powerwhip over Gyroball for Rotom and other bulky waters, and Gyarados greatly appreciates the T-Wave support. Whilst not quite as dominating as she was in BW due to the steel nerf and introduction of new threats such as Talonflame, Ferro's high usage in the stats show she's still a force to be reckoned with.
Jet (Latios) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Psyshock
Last but not least my Latios. After removing Exca, I needed a hazard remover and opted for Latios due to his speed and strong set of resistances. I opted for Latios over his little sister as I think my team is more offensively orientated and he still has enough bulk to roost off any rocks and life orb damage. Orbed draco meteor obviously hits like a truck and psyshock serves as good coverage on the blobs and any poison or fighting types that may still be lurking around the tier, such as the musketeer trio.
Threats/Conclusion
So there you have it, my team in detail. While everyone's alive, the team seems to handle the meta quite well, but should I lose any key players, it tends to fall apart. If I lose Rotom, I get eaten by banded Talonflame and ScarfedGenesect. Lose Azumarril and Lando-I becomes very hard to check. MegaKanga generally has something for everything in this team although between W/Wisp and Ferros barbs can be played around. Greninja's generally an annoyance and Rotom-W just screws with this team in general. Assault Vest Goodra with T-Bolt causes me grief and I also have a gaping weakness to ghost type moves due to their neutral coverage through my whole team, especially Mixed Aegilsash. If you guys could help me really nut out this team it would be a massive privilege and I really appreciate anyone who's taken the time to read through this and offer any help. Thanks in advance!
At a glance
Team Building Process
Before I get into the in depth analysis of each pokemon, I'll give a brief overview of how I reached my current 6. I originally started with a FWG core of Gyarados, M-Venasaur and ScarfChandelure, supported by AssaultVest Exca for spin support, Stealth Rock Tyranitar and Rotom-H for w/wisp support on threats such as Aeglisash and Kanga. I really loved the synergy with Rotom-H, M-Venasaur and Gyara, but found Chandy was a wasted slot as I had Rotom-H, and Tyranitar wasn't really helping the teams large water weakness. Chandy was replaced with a Scarfed Gengar (this was before gengarite ban to check megagar), Tyranitar was replaced by Azumarill for priority and a dark/water/dragon resistance and Exca was given stealth rocks and an air balloon. I was having problems with Rotom-W however, as despite being countered by Venasaur, it would never stay in for me to kill it, and destroyed Gyara, Azu, Exca and Rotom-H. Because of this, I opted to make Gyara my mega for the mold breaker earthquake and remove Excadrill due to his water weakness. Venasaur was replaced by Ferrothorn to maintain stealth rocks and aid to the team defensively with t-wave, and Exca was replaced by defog Latios. This lead my team to where it is now.
The Team
Dragoon (Gyarados) (M) @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 174 Spd / 252 Atk / 82 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Substitute
EVs allow me to outspeed Starmie and Absol. I generally prefer leftovers for recovery, especially with a sub, but Rotom-W was giving me too much hassle. Considering dropping Sub for another coverage move, but pranksters such as Klefki and Sableye keep me awake at night. I considered moxie but I think the thing that sets Gyarados apart from other DD Sweepers is his unique typing and bulk, so stuck with intimidate.
Jasper (Gengar) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Focus Blast
- Trick
Originally my check to MegaGengar, I chose to keep him as Scarf is by far one of 'Gar's least common sets and provides many surprise KO's to things such as Starmie, MegaZam, the Lati twins and weakened ScarfGenesect. Trick is awesome against things such as Blissey, Ferrothorn, Deoxys-D and Gliscor and W/Wisp serves as a surprise to Sucker Punch Kangas.
Boggy (Azumarill) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Superpower
Not too familiar with using Azumarill in the past, but with steel no longer resisting Dark and my teams severe lack of priority, Azu has served well on my team. Pretty much hits similar things as my Gyarados just with priority and different resistances. Have considered dropping him but have struggled thinking of any pokes to replace him with, plus he appreciates Rotom's rain support.
MegaToaster (Rotom-Heat) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 232 HP / 220 Def / 56 SDef
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Overheat
- Rain Dance
Definitely not your standard Rotom set, Rotom-H is a pokemon I only really ever discovered this Gen and I have fallen in love with it. It has great synergy with Gyarados barring that rocks weakness and counters Talonflame, Genesect and Aegilsash which are dominating usage atm. Although Gengar also has W/Wisp, its a physically geared meta atm and alot of players don't expect two users of the move. He originally had a damp rock but with a lack of recovery and a stealth rock weakness, he just got worn down too easily. Rain Dance and no speed evs allow for a slow voltswitch into Gyara, who greatly appreciates the rain boosted waterfalls.
Barbara (Ferrothorn) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Careful Nature
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
- Power Whip
My primary special wall and rounding out my FWG core, this thing eats any special move not named flamethrower. Her natural physical bulk means she tanks any physical move not super effective as well, and the iron barbs mean players are unlikely to poke her head on anyway. Powerwhip over Gyroball for Rotom and other bulky waters, and Gyarados greatly appreciates the T-Wave support. Whilst not quite as dominating as she was in BW due to the steel nerf and introduction of new threats such as Talonflame, Ferro's high usage in the stats show she's still a force to be reckoned with.
Jet (Latios) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Defog
- Draco Meteor
- Roost
- Psyshock
Last but not least my Latios. After removing Exca, I needed a hazard remover and opted for Latios due to his speed and strong set of resistances. I opted for Latios over his little sister as I think my team is more offensively orientated and he still has enough bulk to roost off any rocks and life orb damage. Orbed draco meteor obviously hits like a truck and psyshock serves as good coverage on the blobs and any poison or fighting types that may still be lurking around the tier, such as the musketeer trio.
Threats/Conclusion
So there you have it, my team in detail. While everyone's alive, the team seems to handle the meta quite well, but should I lose any key players, it tends to fall apart. If I lose Rotom, I get eaten by banded Talonflame and ScarfedGenesect. Lose Azumarril and Lando-I becomes very hard to check. MegaKanga generally has something for everything in this team although between W/Wisp and Ferros barbs can be played around. Greninja's generally an annoyance and Rotom-W just screws with this team in general. Assault Vest Goodra with T-Bolt causes me grief and I also have a gaping weakness to ghost type moves due to their neutral coverage through my whole team, especially Mixed Aegilsash. If you guys could help me really nut out this team it would be a massive privilege and I really appreciate anyone who's taken the time to read through this and offer any help. Thanks in advance!
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