Introduction
Hey there, this is my first time building a team, and for the base of the team I've decided to take advantage of Copycat + Stored Power on Espeon, combined with a relatively high SpA and Spe for sweeping. I've been working on improving it to counter every wall I come across, and I think I've gotten it to a semi-playable state. The main idea behind this team is that you lead off with Torkoal, and have multiple options to pivot into from there. Some feedback on what I can improve and some threats I have to watch out for would be appreciated greatly! Here's the team:
The Team
Tortoise (Torkoal) @ Eject Pack
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Yawn
- Rapid Spin
- Shell Smash
Torkoal is the backbone of the entire team, setting up Drought with a low priority to prevent Pelippers from getting their Drizzle in, and some good moves to provide some support, as limited as it is. One of the main advantages of using Torkoal is that it can usually take 2-3 attacks, except for STAB Earthquakes from the ever-present Excadrill. Stealth Rock is useful before forcing a switch with Yawn. But where Torkoal really shines is with Shell Smash and the Eject Pack. Usually after setting up a Yawn or a Stealth Rock, Torkoal can use Shell Smash second turn and switch into Espeon. If Torkoal's matched up with a non-ideal opposing Pokemon, it's simple to pivot into Venusaur and still have a turn or two to use Growth.
Bestpeon (Espeon) @ White Herb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Copycat
- Stored Power
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
Espeon is the true shining star of the team. With a high enough speed to outspeed almost anything in the tier with the exception of Dragapult, Espeon is often able to get off a Copycat and take a hit, restoring its lowered stats with the White Herb. This is where things get fun. Stored Power is a wicked powerful 180 base power + STAB move, and as long as Espeon isn't taken out by a priority Physical move like Aqua Jet by this point, it's mostly smooth sailing. Shadow Ball is for added coverage, and Dazzling Gleam is for taking care of those pesky Dark types like Mandibuzz. Urshifu's Sucker Punch will take out Espeon without fail, so that's a pretty big threat to watch out for.
The Myth (Clefable) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Flamethrower
Clefable is a pretty standard late-game sweeper that benefits a ton from Toxapex picking apart the opposition. Use Calm Mind whenever it's safe, and then Moonblast takes care of Dragapults pretty easily. Soft-Boiled is used to heal up and keep fighting, and Flamethrower is some much needed coverage against Venusaurs and Ferrothorns especially. Magic Guard is absolutely fantastic for taking care of stall mons as well, and leads to some pretty beneficial switch-ins. Overall, a really solid addition to the team that definitely pulls their weight, but I'd love to hear if there's anything better that fits the team.
Wrecking Ball (Urshifu) @ Life Orb
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
Urshifu is really the perfect wallbreaker. Toxipexs don't stand a chance thanks to Unseen Fist, and Dragapults fall to Sucker Punch. I've been playing around with the idea of a Choice Scarf to take care of other Urshifu in a 1v1, but I'm not entirely convinced yet. Bulk Up is nice when possible, but there are just so many counters to Urshifu that it's often wasted by being forced to switch out. I might be interested in a more balanced mon to take over for Urshifu, but I'm not entirely sure. I played around with Specs Dragapult a bit, but kept coming back to Urshifu for Sucker Punch and Wicked Blow.
The Pex (Toxapex) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Knock Off
- Recover
- Toxic
- Baneful Bunker
A fantastic partner for Clefable and a great stallmon that can take a hit. Psychic types do hit hard, but hopefully they've been taken care of before Toxapex has been sent out. Knock Off can help cripple hard hitters, and I've even had Toxapex take out even Dragon Dancing Haxoruses. Toxic combined with Baneful Bunker is just fantastic, and Recover really helps increase his longevity.
Sore Loser (Venusaur) @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Weather Ball
- Sludge Bomb
Growth is fantastic after being boosted with the sun, and combo-ed with Giga Drain really helps make up for the Life Orb damage. Venusaur is a great sweeper, but the only issue is how heavily it relies on Drought that often only lasts a couple turns without the Heat Rock. There are also many "hard checks" that Venusaur can struggle with, notably Excadrill and Sandstorm teams I've found. Overall, he's served me well, but I wouldn't be opposed to something a little more hard hitting. Another con is that although under the right circumstances and investment, he's great for cleaning up, he's often easily outsped after the sun wears off and the Life Orb means that he just doesn't last as long.
Final Notes
I've tried switching things around a lot, still building around the Torkoal-Espeon duo, but this team seems pretty solid for now at least. I like the idea of Red Card Shuckle for entry hazards, but I haven't found him particularly useful in practice. Any advice or suggestions for improvements will be greatly appreciated, and I'd love to hear what you all think! Thanks!
Hey there, this is my first time building a team, and for the base of the team I've decided to take advantage of Copycat + Stored Power on Espeon, combined with a relatively high SpA and Spe for sweeping. I've been working on improving it to counter every wall I come across, and I think I've gotten it to a semi-playable state. The main idea behind this team is that you lead off with Torkoal, and have multiple options to pivot into from there. Some feedback on what I can improve and some threats I have to watch out for would be appreciated greatly! Here's the team:
The Team
Tortoise (Torkoal) @ Eject Pack
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Yawn
- Rapid Spin
- Shell Smash
Torkoal is the backbone of the entire team, setting up Drought with a low priority to prevent Pelippers from getting their Drizzle in, and some good moves to provide some support, as limited as it is. One of the main advantages of using Torkoal is that it can usually take 2-3 attacks, except for STAB Earthquakes from the ever-present Excadrill. Stealth Rock is useful before forcing a switch with Yawn. But where Torkoal really shines is with Shell Smash and the Eject Pack. Usually after setting up a Yawn or a Stealth Rock, Torkoal can use Shell Smash second turn and switch into Espeon. If Torkoal's matched up with a non-ideal opposing Pokemon, it's simple to pivot into Venusaur and still have a turn or two to use Growth.
Bestpeon (Espeon) @ White Herb
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Copycat
- Stored Power
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
Espeon is the true shining star of the team. With a high enough speed to outspeed almost anything in the tier with the exception of Dragapult, Espeon is often able to get off a Copycat and take a hit, restoring its lowered stats with the White Herb. This is where things get fun. Stored Power is a wicked powerful 180 base power + STAB move, and as long as Espeon isn't taken out by a priority Physical move like Aqua Jet by this point, it's mostly smooth sailing. Shadow Ball is for added coverage, and Dazzling Gleam is for taking care of those pesky Dark types like Mandibuzz. Urshifu's Sucker Punch will take out Espeon without fail, so that's a pretty big threat to watch out for.
The Myth (Clefable) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Flamethrower
Clefable is a pretty standard late-game sweeper that benefits a ton from Toxapex picking apart the opposition. Use Calm Mind whenever it's safe, and then Moonblast takes care of Dragapults pretty easily. Soft-Boiled is used to heal up and keep fighting, and Flamethrower is some much needed coverage against Venusaurs and Ferrothorns especially. Magic Guard is absolutely fantastic for taking care of stall mons as well, and leads to some pretty beneficial switch-ins. Overall, a really solid addition to the team that definitely pulls their weight, but I'd love to hear if there's anything better that fits the team.
Wrecking Ball (Urshifu) @ Life Orb
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Wicked Blow
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
Urshifu is really the perfect wallbreaker. Toxipexs don't stand a chance thanks to Unseen Fist, and Dragapults fall to Sucker Punch. I've been playing around with the idea of a Choice Scarf to take care of other Urshifu in a 1v1, but I'm not entirely convinced yet. Bulk Up is nice when possible, but there are just so many counters to Urshifu that it's often wasted by being forced to switch out. I might be interested in a more balanced mon to take over for Urshifu, but I'm not entirely sure. I played around with Specs Dragapult a bit, but kept coming back to Urshifu for Sucker Punch and Wicked Blow.
The Pex (Toxapex) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Knock Off
- Recover
- Toxic
- Baneful Bunker
A fantastic partner for Clefable and a great stallmon that can take a hit. Psychic types do hit hard, but hopefully they've been taken care of before Toxapex has been sent out. Knock Off can help cripple hard hitters, and I've even had Toxapex take out even Dragon Dancing Haxoruses. Toxic combined with Baneful Bunker is just fantastic, and Recover really helps increase his longevity.
Sore Loser (Venusaur) @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Weather Ball
- Sludge Bomb
Growth is fantastic after being boosted with the sun, and combo-ed with Giga Drain really helps make up for the Life Orb damage. Venusaur is a great sweeper, but the only issue is how heavily it relies on Drought that often only lasts a couple turns without the Heat Rock. There are also many "hard checks" that Venusaur can struggle with, notably Excadrill and Sandstorm teams I've found. Overall, he's served me well, but I wouldn't be opposed to something a little more hard hitting. Another con is that although under the right circumstances and investment, he's great for cleaning up, he's often easily outsped after the sun wears off and the Life Orb means that he just doesn't last as long.
Final Notes
I've tried switching things around a lot, still building around the Torkoal-Espeon duo, but this team seems pretty solid for now at least. I like the idea of Red Card Shuckle for entry hazards, but I haven't found him particularly useful in practice. Any advice or suggestions for improvements will be greatly appreciated, and I'd love to hear what you all think! Thanks!