Hey Smogon! I've been playing Pokémon since RYB days, but I never really got into competitive until now (thank god Gen VI makes EV training so easy) and as such I really want to try my hand a it. I've been trying this team on Showdown and it has been working relatively well so far, but I want the expert's opinion on it. Please note that I am not really familiar with the perfect EV spreads so I'm using some pretty standards sets, any help will be immensely appreciated on that font.
The original draft for this team was a FGW core+ Voltturn, but it quickly evolved into this.
Maokai (Trevenant) (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Wood Hammer
- Rest
- Leech Seed
- Will-O-Wisp
His job is to annoy physical attackes with WoW ,Leech seeds+Rest to keep him healthy and Wood hammer to avoid becoming taunt-bait. Lum berry makes him a superb status absorber which keeps my sweepers healthy. Harvest is used over Natural Cure to avoid having to switch out and potentially putting other members of my team at risk.
Khog'Maw (Genesect) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
The bug here is my special sweeper, a pretty standard set but why mess with something that works so well, Boltbeam+Flamethrower means he has pretty much perfect neutral coverage with only Rotom-H taking NVE effective hits, U-Turn is of-course used for scouting and keeping momentum. I'm using Expert belt over LO or a Choice item because I hate taking recoil damage on fragile Pokémon like him and this set seems to thrive on being able to get the right move at the right time. I haven't found a comprehensive list of speed tiers so max Spd EV's + a positive nature seems to be the best option and it also allows me to "fake" a Choice Scarf set (loads of people have raged at me because I shouldn't be able to switch moves with a scarfsect).
Shyvana (Charizard-Mega-X) (F) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
Physical sweeper pure and thorough, ideally I'd be able to set up a DDance or two, but if it isn't possible she functions pretty well anyway. Again she has perfect neutral coverage with really powerful moves, so very few things are able to wall her.
Ezreal (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder Wave
- Pain Split
With 3 pokémon weak to Fire Talonflame was a very serious threat to my team, enter Rotom-W to deal with the flaming bird while still being a general nuisance himself. Volt-Switch and Hydro Pump are staples on the washing machine due their power and utility, thunderwaves to cripple and annoy any kind of sweeper and finally Pain Split to serve as pseudo-healing, (few things are as hilarious as using it on a healthy Blissey). EVs are again pretty standard.
Tryndamere (Excadrill) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Spd / 176 SDef / 80 Atk
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
While I am not using Entry Hazard myself, it would be stupid to assume other people wont, enter Excadrill who serves as a bulky spinner while still maintaining decent offensive presence with SlideQuake coverage+STAB Iron Head. I am aware that assault vest leaves him vulnerable to Earthquake, but it is usually quite predictable and thus I am able to safely switch to Rotom-W or Mandibuzz.
Leona (Mandibuzz) @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Taunt
- Defog
- Roost
As I mentioned earlier entry hazards are extremely annoying for my team, so having a reliable defog user to bypass spinblockers seemed a must-have. Enter Mandibuzz with respectable bulk, immunity to weather conditions and an extremely reliable recovery makes her really good. In addition she and Excadrill cover their weakness nicely. Taunt is to stop set-up sweepers/entry hazard set-up/etc cold in their tracks with Foul Play to avoid being taunted herself.
And that's it, I really like my team and I've been having loads of fun with it, but I am perfectly aware it isn't perfect, for example it has a severe weakness to fire-types if Rotom or Mgazard are taken out. In addition Genesect, who is extremely important for my team, is probably going to be banned to Ubers once again so I need to find a replacement if (when) he is banned. I'm also lacking a strong Fighting type, which came to bite me in the ass (coughBlisseycough).
Thanks in advance.
The original draft for this team was a FGW core+ Voltturn, but it quickly evolved into this.
Maokai (Trevenant) (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Wood Hammer
- Rest
- Leech Seed
- Will-O-Wisp
His job is to annoy physical attackes with WoW ,Leech seeds+Rest to keep him healthy and Wood hammer to avoid becoming taunt-bait. Lum berry makes him a superb status absorber which keeps my sweepers healthy. Harvest is used over Natural Cure to avoid having to switch out and potentially putting other members of my team at risk.
Khog'Maw (Genesect) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 Atk
Hasty Nature
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- U-turn
The bug here is my special sweeper, a pretty standard set but why mess with something that works so well, Boltbeam+Flamethrower means he has pretty much perfect neutral coverage with only Rotom-H taking NVE effective hits, U-Turn is of-course used for scouting and keeping momentum. I'm using Expert belt over LO or a Choice item because I hate taking recoil damage on fragile Pokémon like him and this set seems to thrive on being able to get the right move at the right time. I haven't found a comprehensive list of speed tiers so max Spd EV's + a positive nature seems to be the best option and it also allows me to "fake" a Choice Scarf set (loads of people have raged at me because I shouldn't be able to switch moves with a scarfsect).
Shyvana (Charizard-Mega-X) (F) @ Charizardite X
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
Physical sweeper pure and thorough, ideally I'd be able to set up a DDance or two, but if it isn't possible she functions pretty well anyway. Again she has perfect neutral coverage with really powerful moves, so very few things are able to wall her.
Ezreal (Rotom-Wash) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SDef / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder Wave
- Pain Split
With 3 pokémon weak to Fire Talonflame was a very serious threat to my team, enter Rotom-W to deal with the flaming bird while still being a general nuisance himself. Volt-Switch and Hydro Pump are staples on the washing machine due their power and utility, thunderwaves to cripple and annoy any kind of sweeper and finally Pain Split to serve as pseudo-healing, (few things are as hilarious as using it on a healthy Blissey). EVs are again pretty standard.
Tryndamere (Excadrill) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Spd / 176 SDef / 80 Atk
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Iron Head
While I am not using Entry Hazard myself, it would be stupid to assume other people wont, enter Excadrill who serves as a bulky spinner while still maintaining decent offensive presence with SlideQuake coverage+STAB Iron Head. I am aware that assault vest leaves him vulnerable to Earthquake, but it is usually quite predictable and thus I am able to safely switch to Rotom-W or Mandibuzz.
Leona (Mandibuzz) @ Leftovers
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Taunt
- Defog
- Roost
As I mentioned earlier entry hazards are extremely annoying for my team, so having a reliable defog user to bypass spinblockers seemed a must-have. Enter Mandibuzz with respectable bulk, immunity to weather conditions and an extremely reliable recovery makes her really good. In addition she and Excadrill cover their weakness nicely. Taunt is to stop set-up sweepers/entry hazard set-up/etc cold in their tracks with Foul Play to avoid being taunted herself.
And that's it, I really like my team and I've been having loads of fun with it, but I am perfectly aware it isn't perfect, for example it has a severe weakness to fire-types if Rotom or Mgazard are taken out. In addition Genesect, who is extremely important for my team, is probably going to be banned to Ubers once again so I need to find a replacement if (when) he is banned. I'm also lacking a strong Fighting type, which came to bite me in the ass (coughBlisseycough).
Thanks in advance.
