I don't usually come to RMTs, (since most of my teams kind of fail before proving worthy of being posted here :P), but I've reached 1200 on PO with this team, which is nothing spectacular, but made me think that this team is possibly viable for higher level plays. So I decided to come here in search for help.
Team Creation Process:
Melloeta
One of the most unique pokemon in game. I'll admit, I wanted to use a UU pokemon just to be a bit "hipster". But in all honesty, this poke is awesome. She can switch forms and wreak havoc with correct prediction and team support.
Politoed
(Sigh) Yes, I finally gave in to the pressure of the infamous rain. I was adamant about not using weather based teams, but I decided to give it a try. The rain support makes thunder a sure hit, and coupled with meloetta's serene grace, the boost in accuracy is a nice welcome.
Forretress
My prime entry hazard set up poke. In the rain, his fire weakness is slightly nullified. Additionally, the SR and spikes definitely help meloetta set up some crucial kills, while rapid spin helps keep my team from getting worn down too hard from entry hazards. It also serves as a great defensive pivot for the team.
Wobbuffet
I still cannot believe Wobbuffet is in BL. I love this guy, and with correct predictions, can gimmick-break opposing teams. This is definitely a personal favorite, and like Meloetta, I partially started creating the team with it. It also helps me set up easily with either of my possible sweepers.
Toxicroak
If I have rain, might as well make most of it! With Wobbuffet to help give a free switch in, Toxicroak can easily set up to put some hurt on the opposing team.
Hydreigon
I wanted someone who could do great damage, counter ground moves, and resist dark moves. And wallah, Hydreigon was here to save the day.
Politoed @Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
252 HP/56 Def/ 200 SpDef
Calm Nature
Scald
Protect
Toxic
Perish Song
A variation of a very common variant of Politoed. First question you might ask is, why so much investment into special defense? One reason is for a surprise effect on the opponent. As they try to cripple me with special attacks, expecting me to be weaker in that defensive area, they find to their dismay that their attack does not deal as much as they wished. The other reason is because I already have a defensive tank in Forretress. It is definitely unconventional, and maybe the other standard set might work better, since it would help counter Scizor better (which I have a problem with). Opinions on this would be nice. Perish Song serves to cause either an immediate switches, in fear of perish song trap with Wobbuffet, or outright killing it with said method. Toxic is for if my Wobbuffet is dead, and I wish to get residual damage in.
Meloetta @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
20 Atk/252 Sp Atk/200 Speed
Naive Nature
Thunder
Hidden Power (Ice)
Relic Song
Close Combat
The standard set for relic song Meloettas. I love its ability to play mind games, switching between forms, and it becomes one of my possible sweepers. I can switch this fairy (?) against opposing ghost attacks, or as a momentum shifter after a previous pokemon has died. It is partially the crux of the set, and with support from the rain and Forretress, it serves as a nice damage dealer. The Life Orbs definitely can hurt me in the long run, but Meloetta does lack a bit of raw power, so I believe it is necessary.
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
Relaxed Nature
Rapid Spin
Stealth Rock
Spikes
Volt Switch
You guys are probably thinking, where is the gyro ball? And sometimes I question myself about that too. But the double hazard in SR and spikes, help my pokemon sweep, since they are not the most outright strongest (in base power) of pokemons. As mentioned before in the team building process, forretress serves as a defensive pivot, and with volt switch, can help bring in another pokemon after taking a heavy hit.
Wobbuffet @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
28 HP/ 232 Def/ 248 Sp Def.
Bold Nature
Counter
Mirror Coat
Safeguard
Encore
This is some badass blob right here. It is the standard Wobbuffet set, and I chose it to have a physically defensive nature since my Politoed is already specially defensive. Encore can help bring in some of my other pokemons, and can also revenge kill choiced pokes as well. It is also just a great annoyance to the opponent in fear of its trapping. Finally, it has great synergy and serves as a great threat coupled with Politoed's perish song.
Toxicroak @ Black Sludge
Ability: Dry Skin
244 HP/132 Atk/12 Speed
Adamant Nature
Substitute
Drain Punch
Sucker Punch
Bulk Up
The standard bulk up Toxicroak. With the help of Wobbuffet, I can easily switch in and get a sub up while they switch. In the next turn, I can decide to either bulk up, or do a bit of a hit and run and get some damage in before my sub breaks the turn after from the opponent's attack. I know that with this set, I get completely walled by smart Gengar users and also Jellicent, but even if I had ice punch, Jellicent and I would be in a stalemate. Additionally, I have a decent (not the best) way of dealing with Gengar with my other pokes, so it is not a problem (usually). Another reason for sucker punch over ice punch is the fact that I have no other priority moves otherwise.
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
252 Sp Atk/ 252 Speed/ 4 HP
Modest Nature
Draco Meteor
Focus Blast
Earth Power
Surf
This is my surprise revenge killer. Depending on how I bring it in, the opponent may not realize that it is choice scarfed initially. For example, a Dragonite or Gyarados +1DD may think that it is safe and believe that it will outspeed me, but BAM the next turn, it is dead with Draco Meteor. Of course, with modest nature, it may be outsped by the likes of Haxorus with DD, but who uses that anyways? But in actuality, I believe that my Hydreigon definitely needs more power, and hence went with modest, and also a pure special attacker type. This may lead to Chansey/Blissey walling the set, but I have clear counters to them in Meloetta and Toxicroak (and hell, even Politoed+Wobbuffet combo), so I think it should be fine. Additionally, the surf is boosted by the rain, and I thought it would do better than fire blast, since the latter would be weakened by rain, and also those who are 4x weak to fire blast, except Scizor, are easily dealt with by other pokes. Surf also provides very decent neutral coverage when I cannot make certain predictions in what the opponent will do.
Synergy:
I went over this a little bit in my team descriptions, but here are some synergies that I find in the team:
+
Politoed+Wobbuffet:
Perish Song+Shadow Tag. Even if it does not kill, it threatens others to switch out immediately after the perish song due to the existence of Wobbuffet on my team.
+
/
Wobbuffet+Toxicroak/Meloetta
With proper prediction and encore locks, I can safely bring in either to set up/do some hurt. Psychic moves, which threaten Toxicroak, can be resisted by Meloetta and Wobbuffet (along with Hydreigon and Forretress), and dark moves, which threaten Meloetta, can be resisted by Toxicroak (along with Hydreigon and Forretress).
+
Toxicroak+Hydreigon
Their defensive type coverage is awesome. With Hydreigon immune to both psychic and ground, which threaten Toxicroak, and with Toxicroak resisting both bug and fighting, which Hydreigon is weak to, the duo is pretty awesome.
Possible leads: Any of my pokemon bar Toxicroak.
Reasons:
Politoed: set up rain and scout with protect.
Meloetta: Can kill common leads easily, and can easily start switching forms from the start
Hydreigon: Most people do not think Hydreigon to be scarfed, and underestimate its power. It also 0hkos non defensive Rotom W's that lead in belief that I will lead off with Politoed.
Wobbuffet: Encore entry hazards (preferably stealth rock), or just do the standard Wobbuffet things.
Most blatant hole: 3 pokemons that are weak to bug types.
Threats (that I've noticed):
Jellicent:
If my Meloetta is down, this ghost can be freaking annoying, and with wilo wisp, it can wear down my team, unless I have safeguard up. In that case, I can try toxic/perish song to attempt to kill it.
Gengar:
Again with Meloetta down, Gengar can serve as a problem, if it has a sub up. My Hydreigon can deal with it otherwise.
Jirachi:
The parafusion hax jirachi can be really annoying, since my Hydreigon cannot 2hko it with Earth Power. Unless I can somehow get up safeguard with Wobbuffet without it flinch/paralyzing me, I can deal with it, but otherwise, I have to try perish song trapping or forcing it to switch with said move.
SCIZOR (biggest threat):
I f*!@#)ing hate this guy. Unless my opponent makes a bad switch in, this pokemon can wreck my entire team, especially if I don't know whether it is the choice band variant, or the swords dance variant. If it is a choice band variant, and I switch in any of my pokemons on a U-turn, (3 of my pokemon are weak to bug) it's going to lay a lot of hurt. Forretress, my main physical tank, can't do anything to Scizor. Politoed on the other hand, is specially defensive, so I doubt it can take more than 2 hits from any of its moves. If it is swords dance variant, and gets the boost off after safely bringing it in, it is pretty much GG. The only sure way to deal with it is to scald burn it or hope for a misplay from the opponent.
Also, since I play on PO quite a bit, Deoxys-D (which has been banned to uber in Smogon, but not in PO) walls my team quite nicely.
So yeah. Any help would be nice. And thanks in advance!
P.S., I've thought of replacing Forretress with Ferrothorn, as it is much better as an overall tank (usually), and has more offensive capabilities, though it does lack rapid spin. Throughout the games, I've realized that I do not use rapid spin as often as I thought I would (though it definitely does play a big role in some games, especially if I cannot kill Skarmory with Meloetta before it gets hazards up).
Team Creation Process:
Melloeta
One of the most unique pokemon in game. I'll admit, I wanted to use a UU pokemon just to be a bit "hipster". But in all honesty, this poke is awesome. She can switch forms and wreak havoc with correct prediction and team support.
Politoed
(Sigh) Yes, I finally gave in to the pressure of the infamous rain. I was adamant about not using weather based teams, but I decided to give it a try. The rain support makes thunder a sure hit, and coupled with meloetta's serene grace, the boost in accuracy is a nice welcome.
Forretress
My prime entry hazard set up poke. In the rain, his fire weakness is slightly nullified. Additionally, the SR and spikes definitely help meloetta set up some crucial kills, while rapid spin helps keep my team from getting worn down too hard from entry hazards. It also serves as a great defensive pivot for the team.
Wobbuffet
I still cannot believe Wobbuffet is in BL. I love this guy, and with correct predictions, can gimmick-break opposing teams. This is definitely a personal favorite, and like Meloetta, I partially started creating the team with it. It also helps me set up easily with either of my possible sweepers.
Toxicroak
If I have rain, might as well make most of it! With Wobbuffet to help give a free switch in, Toxicroak can easily set up to put some hurt on the opposing team.
Hydreigon
I wanted someone who could do great damage, counter ground moves, and resist dark moves. And wallah, Hydreigon was here to save the day.
Politoed @Leftovers
Ability: Drizzle
252 HP/56 Def/ 200 SpDef
Calm Nature
Scald
Protect
Toxic
Perish Song
A variation of a very common variant of Politoed. First question you might ask is, why so much investment into special defense? One reason is for a surprise effect on the opponent. As they try to cripple me with special attacks, expecting me to be weaker in that defensive area, they find to their dismay that their attack does not deal as much as they wished. The other reason is because I already have a defensive tank in Forretress. It is definitely unconventional, and maybe the other standard set might work better, since it would help counter Scizor better (which I have a problem with). Opinions on this would be nice. Perish Song serves to cause either an immediate switches, in fear of perish song trap with Wobbuffet, or outright killing it with said method. Toxic is for if my Wobbuffet is dead, and I wish to get residual damage in.
Meloetta @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
20 Atk/252 Sp Atk/200 Speed
Naive Nature
Thunder
Hidden Power (Ice)
Relic Song
Close Combat
The standard set for relic song Meloettas. I love its ability to play mind games, switching between forms, and it becomes one of my possible sweepers. I can switch this fairy (?) against opposing ghost attacks, or as a momentum shifter after a previous pokemon has died. It is partially the crux of the set, and with support from the rain and Forretress, it serves as a nice damage dealer. The Life Orbs definitely can hurt me in the long run, but Meloetta does lack a bit of raw power, so I believe it is necessary.
Forretress @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
252 HP/252 Def/4 SpDef
Relaxed Nature
Rapid Spin
Stealth Rock
Spikes
Volt Switch
You guys are probably thinking, where is the gyro ball? And sometimes I question myself about that too. But the double hazard in SR and spikes, help my pokemon sweep, since they are not the most outright strongest (in base power) of pokemons. As mentioned before in the team building process, forretress serves as a defensive pivot, and with volt switch, can help bring in another pokemon after taking a heavy hit.
Wobbuffet @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
28 HP/ 232 Def/ 248 Sp Def.
Bold Nature
Counter
Mirror Coat
Safeguard
Encore
This is some badass blob right here. It is the standard Wobbuffet set, and I chose it to have a physically defensive nature since my Politoed is already specially defensive. Encore can help bring in some of my other pokemons, and can also revenge kill choiced pokes as well. It is also just a great annoyance to the opponent in fear of its trapping. Finally, it has great synergy and serves as a great threat coupled with Politoed's perish song.
Toxicroak @ Black Sludge
Ability: Dry Skin
244 HP/132 Atk/12 Speed
Adamant Nature
Substitute
Drain Punch
Sucker Punch
Bulk Up
The standard bulk up Toxicroak. With the help of Wobbuffet, I can easily switch in and get a sub up while they switch. In the next turn, I can decide to either bulk up, or do a bit of a hit and run and get some damage in before my sub breaks the turn after from the opponent's attack. I know that with this set, I get completely walled by smart Gengar users and also Jellicent, but even if I had ice punch, Jellicent and I would be in a stalemate. Additionally, I have a decent (not the best) way of dealing with Gengar with my other pokes, so it is not a problem (usually). Another reason for sucker punch over ice punch is the fact that I have no other priority moves otherwise.
Hydreigon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
252 Sp Atk/ 252 Speed/ 4 HP
Modest Nature
Draco Meteor
Focus Blast
Earth Power
Surf
This is my surprise revenge killer. Depending on how I bring it in, the opponent may not realize that it is choice scarfed initially. For example, a Dragonite or Gyarados +1DD may think that it is safe and believe that it will outspeed me, but BAM the next turn, it is dead with Draco Meteor. Of course, with modest nature, it may be outsped by the likes of Haxorus with DD, but who uses that anyways? But in actuality, I believe that my Hydreigon definitely needs more power, and hence went with modest, and also a pure special attacker type. This may lead to Chansey/Blissey walling the set, but I have clear counters to them in Meloetta and Toxicroak (and hell, even Politoed+Wobbuffet combo), so I think it should be fine. Additionally, the surf is boosted by the rain, and I thought it would do better than fire blast, since the latter would be weakened by rain, and also those who are 4x weak to fire blast, except Scizor, are easily dealt with by other pokes. Surf also provides very decent neutral coverage when I cannot make certain predictions in what the opponent will do.
Synergy:
I went over this a little bit in my team descriptions, but here are some synergies that I find in the team:
Politoed+Wobbuffet:
Perish Song+Shadow Tag. Even if it does not kill, it threatens others to switch out immediately after the perish song due to the existence of Wobbuffet on my team.
With proper prediction and encore locks, I can safely bring in either to set up/do some hurt. Psychic moves, which threaten Toxicroak, can be resisted by Meloetta and Wobbuffet (along with Hydreigon and Forretress), and dark moves, which threaten Meloetta, can be resisted by Toxicroak (along with Hydreigon and Forretress).
Toxicroak+Hydreigon
Their defensive type coverage is awesome. With Hydreigon immune to both psychic and ground, which threaten Toxicroak, and with Toxicroak resisting both bug and fighting, which Hydreigon is weak to, the duo is pretty awesome.
Possible leads: Any of my pokemon bar Toxicroak.
Reasons:
Politoed: set up rain and scout with protect.
Meloetta: Can kill common leads easily, and can easily start switching forms from the start
Hydreigon: Most people do not think Hydreigon to be scarfed, and underestimate its power. It also 0hkos non defensive Rotom W's that lead in belief that I will lead off with Politoed.
Wobbuffet: Encore entry hazards (preferably stealth rock), or just do the standard Wobbuffet things.
Most blatant hole: 3 pokemons that are weak to bug types.
Threats (that I've noticed):
If my Meloetta is down, this ghost can be freaking annoying, and with wilo wisp, it can wear down my team, unless I have safeguard up. In that case, I can try toxic/perish song to attempt to kill it.
Again with Meloetta down, Gengar can serve as a problem, if it has a sub up. My Hydreigon can deal with it otherwise.
The parafusion hax jirachi can be really annoying, since my Hydreigon cannot 2hko it with Earth Power. Unless I can somehow get up safeguard with Wobbuffet without it flinch/paralyzing me, I can deal with it, but otherwise, I have to try perish song trapping or forcing it to switch with said move.
I f*!@#)ing hate this guy. Unless my opponent makes a bad switch in, this pokemon can wreck my entire team, especially if I don't know whether it is the choice band variant, or the swords dance variant. If it is a choice band variant, and I switch in any of my pokemons on a U-turn, (3 of my pokemon are weak to bug) it's going to lay a lot of hurt. Forretress, my main physical tank, can't do anything to Scizor. Politoed on the other hand, is specially defensive, so I doubt it can take more than 2 hits from any of its moves. If it is swords dance variant, and gets the boost off after safely bringing it in, it is pretty much GG. The only sure way to deal with it is to scald burn it or hope for a misplay from the opponent.
Also, since I play on PO quite a bit, Deoxys-D (which has been banned to uber in Smogon, but not in PO) walls my team quite nicely.
So yeah. Any help would be nice. And thanks in advance!
P.S., I've thought of replacing Forretress with Ferrothorn, as it is much better as an overall tank (usually), and has more offensive capabilities, though it does lack rapid spin. Throughout the games, I've realized that I do not use rapid spin as often as I thought I would (though it definitely does play a big role in some games, especially if I cannot kill Skarmory with Meloetta before it gets hazards up).
