Introduction:
Hello Smogon people! After some time playing on the server and getting to know the meta I think I can finally build a decent team that doesn't get destroyed by common threats (unlike a couple of teams I've built in the past). To be honest I dont expect this team to be really good but I hope that after some fixes it helps me getting past 1600.
The team:
So I decided to build a team around this core I'm pretty sure everyone knows: Mega Charizard-Y and Banded Tyranitar. Charizard is one of the strongest special wallbreakers in the meta having only a few of mons that wall it such as Chansey, Heatran (I know Focus Blast 2hkos it but we all know that won't hit twice in a row), Lati@s which Tyranitar can trap and either kill or weaken for the sweep.
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost
Well, this is the standard Charizard-Y set pretty self-explanatory Fire Blast as its strongest stab move sun-boosted Solar Beam for bulky water-types such as Rotom-W and Focus Blast for Heatran and Tyranitar mainly.
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 104 HP / 248 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Once again, this is the standard Tyranitar set for a banded pursuit trapper. Stone Edge and Crunch are both powerful stab moves and Superpower for coverage and also forcing Chansey out to hit it with Pursuit.
Now something crucial to have when building around Charizard is a reliable Spinner/Defogger and a mon that fits really well with this core and gets access to Rapid Spin is of course Excadrill.
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Excadrill is able to take advantage of the Sandstorm and become a fast hardhitting threat able to pressure teams by the physical side. Life Orb to increase the damage, however, I think Air Balloon fits the team better, I'm not sure. Coverage moves + Rapid Spin to deal with those Stealth Rocks.
At this point I realized the team was really weak to Water and also kinda slow, being the only fast pokemon Excadrill who relies on the Sand for its Speed. That's why I opted for Keldeo as my 4th pokemon.
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Keldeo helps with that water issue while also adding some Speed to the team especially since its Scarfed. I know Specs Keldeo puts a lot more of pressure due to its powerful Scalds but I feel like a Scarf variant fits the team better. Its really high Speed tier allows me to outspeed and kill threats to the team like Diancie Gengar and some Scarfers like Landorus-T that dont feel threatened by a Specs variant. It also baits in Chansey which gets ohkod by Secret Sword. It also helps checking dark types like Weavile and Bisharp.
Now taking a look at the team, I realized I still had issues with fast Electric types such as Manectric, since most of my team members were weak to his coverage moves besides Tyranitar. Even outspeeding with Keldeo wouldn't be enough since it doesn't die to one Hydro Pump. Tyranitar can be a decent switchin but I dont want him to be worn down to the point where it can't trap the mons it's supposed to. That's why I added Latios.
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
Latios takes less than half from a HP Ice and resists pretty well his other coverage moves. I know Manectric isnt going to stay in on a Draco but forcing him out a couple of time will wear him down with Rocks to the point where Keld ohkos it. Since I already have a Spinner I didn´t go for Defog on Latios and tbh I don´t really know what move to use on that slot, I'd like to get some feedback on that
Now, there's only 1 slot remaining and after thinking about it, I chose Ferrothorn as my last pokemon.
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 172 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
Ferrothorn is my Rock setter and it also provides Twave support, which is really appreciated beacuse of Charizard 100 Base Speed. Because I'm running Twave I went for Power Whip instead of Gyro Ball, which would do less damage. Chople Berry helps me checking Mega Lopunny Mega Medicham and I don't remember which other pokemon, since I'm able to tank the hit and Twave back, putting a huge threat in a really bad position.
Threats:
I've been testing this team for a couple of days and so far I've got some trouble with HO teams, since the pressure they put onto my team makes it really difficult to wear down their mons for a sweep.
Strong Special Attackers seem like a problem too, especially Gengar since I dont have a Ghost resist besides Tyranitar who gets ohkod by Focus Blast. It gets more difficult if they realize my Keldeo is Scarfed beacuse then I can't bait the Shadow Ball and ohko with Hydro.
I've also had problems with Set-up sweepers like Mega Charizard-X, the Earthquake variant can sweep my team if I let it Dragon Dance twice. I don't really let it do that but if that's the case my team's gone.
If you find any other threat feel free to tell me :).
Notes:
Besides getting feedback and suggestions for the team, I also have some questions:
-Does Air Balloon Excadrill make more sense than LO in the team?
-Is there a good replacement for Focus Blast on Charizard (It never hits :c)
- Should I use Latios as the Defogger and give Excadrill an extra move?
-In case I keep Exca as the Spinner, what move fits the team on Lati instead of Thunderbolt?
Thanks for reading I'll read all the answers (I hope I get some) and definitely try the suggestions out :D. Btw I don't have replays yet beacuse I didn't save any xD but I'll have some good ones soon.
Importable:
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 104 HP / 248 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 172 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
Hello Smogon people! After some time playing on the server and getting to know the meta I think I can finally build a decent team that doesn't get destroyed by common threats (unlike a couple of teams I've built in the past). To be honest I dont expect this team to be really good but I hope that after some fixes it helps me getting past 1600.
The team:
So I decided to build a team around this core I'm pretty sure everyone knows: Mega Charizard-Y and Banded Tyranitar. Charizard is one of the strongest special wallbreakers in the meta having only a few of mons that wall it such as Chansey, Heatran (I know Focus Blast 2hkos it but we all know that won't hit twice in a row), Lati@s which Tyranitar can trap and either kill or weaken for the sweep.

Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost
Well, this is the standard Charizard-Y set pretty self-explanatory Fire Blast as its strongest stab move sun-boosted Solar Beam for bulky water-types such as Rotom-W and Focus Blast for Heatran and Tyranitar mainly.

Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 104 HP / 248 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Now something crucial to have when building around Charizard is a reliable Spinner/Defogger and a mon that fits really well with this core and gets access to Rapid Spin is of course Excadrill.

Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
At this point I realized the team was really weak to Water and also kinda slow, being the only fast pokemon Excadrill who relies on the Sand for its Speed. That's why I opted for Keldeo as my 4th pokemon.

Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Keldeo helps with that water issue while also adding some Speed to the team especially since its Scarfed. I know Specs Keldeo puts a lot more of pressure due to its powerful Scalds but I feel like a Scarf variant fits the team better. Its really high Speed tier allows me to outspeed and kill threats to the team like Diancie Gengar and some Scarfers like Landorus-T that dont feel threatened by a Specs variant. It also baits in Chansey which gets ohkod by Secret Sword. It also helps checking dark types like Weavile and Bisharp.
Now taking a look at the team, I realized I still had issues with fast Electric types such as Manectric, since most of my team members were weak to his coverage moves besides Tyranitar. Even outspeeding with Keldeo wouldn't be enough since it doesn't die to one Hydro Pump. Tyranitar can be a decent switchin but I dont want him to be worn down to the point where it can't trap the mons it's supposed to. That's why I added Latios.

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
Latios takes less than half from a HP Ice and resists pretty well his other coverage moves. I know Manectric isnt going to stay in on a Draco but forcing him out a couple of time will wear him down with Rocks to the point where Keld ohkos it. Since I already have a Spinner I didn´t go for Defog on Latios and tbh I don´t really know what move to use on that slot, I'd like to get some feedback on that
Now, there's only 1 slot remaining and after thinking about it, I chose Ferrothorn as my last pokemon.

Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 172 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
Ferrothorn is my Rock setter and it also provides Twave support, which is really appreciated beacuse of Charizard 100 Base Speed. Because I'm running Twave I went for Power Whip instead of Gyro Ball, which would do less damage. Chople Berry helps me checking Mega Lopunny Mega Medicham and I don't remember which other pokemon, since I'm able to tank the hit and Twave back, putting a huge threat in a really bad position.
Threats:
I've been testing this team for a couple of days and so far I've got some trouble with HO teams, since the pressure they put onto my team makes it really difficult to wear down their mons for a sweep.
Strong Special Attackers seem like a problem too, especially Gengar since I dont have a Ghost resist besides Tyranitar who gets ohkod by Focus Blast. It gets more difficult if they realize my Keldeo is Scarfed beacuse then I can't bait the Shadow Ball and ohko with Hydro.
I've also had problems with Set-up sweepers like Mega Charizard-X, the Earthquake variant can sweep my team if I let it Dragon Dance twice. I don't really let it do that but if that's the case my team's gone.
If you find any other threat feel free to tell me :).
Notes:
Besides getting feedback and suggestions for the team, I also have some questions:
-Does Air Balloon Excadrill make more sense than LO in the team?
-Is there a good replacement for Focus Blast on Charizard (It never hits :c)
- Should I use Latios as the Defogger and give Excadrill an extra move?
-In case I keep Exca as the Spinner, what move fits the team on Lati instead of Thunderbolt?
Thanks for reading I'll read all the answers (I hope I get some) and definitely try the suggestions out :D. Btw I don't have replays yet beacuse I didn't save any xD but I'll have some good ones soon.
Importable:
Charizard-Mega-Y @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Solar Beam
- Focus Blast
- Roost
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 104 HP / 248 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
- Rapid Spin
Keldeo-Resolute @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Scald
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt
- Recover
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 172 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Thunder Wave
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