Hello, I'm a beginner for Showdown/smogon and this is my first ever NU team, so it could use a little work.
Copperajah @ Leftovers
Ability: Heavy Metal
EVs: 156 HP / 100 Atk / 252 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Brave Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Heat Crash
- Power Whip
I put Copperajah on the team initially because of a good defensive typing core with Flygon and Ninjask. Copperajah is pretty bulky with the leftovers and is a solid rocks setter, but also provides a lot of offensive pressure if Trick Room is up. However, the drawback if I go for that play is I usually need to lead with Dusclops, which is fine but not very threatening.
Flygon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-Turn
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
- Earth Power
This "surprise factor" Flygon is built to essentially nuke something if it gets the chance. It also has Levitate to avoid the ground moves that are strong against Copperajah and Diancie. If I can switch Flygon in safely, it can OHKO some big NU threats, namely Aerodactyl, while surviving most hits if it doesn't outspeed. That being said, I find it hard to switch Flygon in safely, unless I can bait a ground move or Curse sacrifice with Dusclops after Trick Room.
Ninjask @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 100 Def / 156 Speed
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Swords Dance
- Leech Life
- Dual Wingbeat
Ninjask is one of the main carries of the team, as it outspeeds basically anything in the tier. It's my main revenge killer and it works best when I save it until I've chipped away at my opponent's team. At 156 speed, it outspeeds Aerodactyl, and can use Protect-Speed Boost combo in case the opponent might be scarfed. That being said, it's offensive coverage is somewhat lacking, and can struggle against a pokemon like Braviary since it can't OHKO it withou setting up.
Dusclops @ Eviolite
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Trick Room
- Will-O-Wisp
- Curse
- Poltergeist
This Dusclops is incredibly bulky, and is a very reliable Trick Room lead. If the opponent goes for tempo by leading an offensive pokemon, Dusclops can typically live a hit and burn them instead. This is a pretty straightforward strategy though, so I typically run into a wall-vs-wall situation (frequently vs Starmie) and it can take 10+ turns of switch-predicting before I can gain (or lose) positioning. I wish for these situations that I had something more threatening - Poltergeist does good chunks of damage, but typically not enough to beat out a wall with Recover. Maybe it's worth sacrificing some defensive EVs for some offense? The typical move I use is to Curse-sacrifice for a free switch into Copperajah or Diancie (sometimes Flygon if against a very speedy pokemon).
Blastoise @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Flip Turn
-Toxic
So yet another bulky leftover pokemon on my team, although this Blastoise has different utility. It's the only pokemon on my team that resists water moves well, which leads to more wall-vs-wall situations against Starmie. However, Blastoise fares better than Dusclops because it's carrying Toxic. The other functionality is just to Rapid-Spin - only Ninjask really cares about hazards though, and usually I only bring him out late-game so his heavy-duty boots won't get knocked off.
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Body Press
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
Diancie is yet another defensive Leftovers user, but in this case is actually one of the biggest offensive threats on my team next to Ninjask. The reason for this is the offensive coverage is really good against pokemon that the rest of my team struggle against (i.e. Braviary), and covers rock-type threats to Ninjask with Body Press. It can also set up rocks instead of Copperajah, but I only go for this option against teams that Diancie is really bad against, so I am considering replacing that.
Overall weaknesses of my team:
The team struggles against very common NU picks like Starmie and Braviary. I have checks for them (Blastoise/Ninjask for Starmie, Diancie for Braviary), but if I don't have the positioning it can go bad very quickly. I feel as though I need another fast offensive threat with some other coverage moves (electric or ice moves are seriously lacking on my team). I could very easily replace Blastoise, but then my team would be super weak to water. I could replace Dusclops, but then I would be lacking my main Trick Room setup. The other option is to replace Flygon, but the Flygon is a really good check for Fire types, which my team is weak to, as well as Aerodactyl as discussed earlier.
Rotom-Mow is also a huge threat, as I don't really have good defense vs grass except Ninjask, and then I can get hit pretty hard by a volt-switch and lose positioning on top of that.
Overall strengths of my team:
Most teams I face can't deal with the Trick Room very well. Lots of tanky mons also means I can switch a lot to get good positioning. I also have Ninjask and Diancie that both have serious set-up threat, which is difficult to play against.
Replays:
Loss vs Rotom-Mow, Braviary, Starmie
Win vs Braviary, Starmie - Copperajah + Ninask come in clutch
Win - Great setup with Diancie
Copperajah @ Leftovers
Ability: Heavy Metal
EVs: 156 HP / 100 Atk / 252 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Brave Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Heat Crash
- Power Whip
I put Copperajah on the team initially because of a good defensive typing core with Flygon and Ninjask. Copperajah is pretty bulky with the leftovers and is a solid rocks setter, but also provides a lot of offensive pressure if Trick Room is up. However, the drawback if I go for that play is I usually need to lead with Dusclops, which is fine but not very threatening.
Flygon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-Turn
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
- Earth Power
This "surprise factor" Flygon is built to essentially nuke something if it gets the chance. It also has Levitate to avoid the ground moves that are strong against Copperajah and Diancie. If I can switch Flygon in safely, it can OHKO some big NU threats, namely Aerodactyl, while surviving most hits if it doesn't outspeed. That being said, I find it hard to switch Flygon in safely, unless I can bait a ground move or Curse sacrifice with Dusclops after Trick Room.
Ninjask @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 100 Def / 156 Speed
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Swords Dance
- Leech Life
- Dual Wingbeat
Ninjask is one of the main carries of the team, as it outspeeds basically anything in the tier. It's my main revenge killer and it works best when I save it until I've chipped away at my opponent's team. At 156 speed, it outspeeds Aerodactyl, and can use Protect-Speed Boost combo in case the opponent might be scarfed. That being said, it's offensive coverage is somewhat lacking, and can struggle against a pokemon like Braviary since it can't OHKO it withou setting up.
Dusclops @ Eviolite
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Sassy Nature
- Trick Room
- Will-O-Wisp
- Curse
- Poltergeist
This Dusclops is incredibly bulky, and is a very reliable Trick Room lead. If the opponent goes for tempo by leading an offensive pokemon, Dusclops can typically live a hit and burn them instead. This is a pretty straightforward strategy though, so I typically run into a wall-vs-wall situation (frequently vs Starmie) and it can take 10+ turns of switch-predicting before I can gain (or lose) positioning. I wish for these situations that I had something more threatening - Poltergeist does good chunks of damage, but typically not enough to beat out a wall with Recover. Maybe it's worth sacrificing some defensive EVs for some offense? The typical move I use is to Curse-sacrifice for a free switch into Copperajah or Diancie (sometimes Flygon if against a very speedy pokemon).
Blastoise @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Flip Turn
-Toxic
So yet another bulky leftover pokemon on my team, although this Blastoise has different utility. It's the only pokemon on my team that resists water moves well, which leads to more wall-vs-wall situations against Starmie. However, Blastoise fares better than Dusclops because it's carrying Toxic. The other functionality is just to Rapid-Spin - only Ninjask really cares about hazards though, and usually I only bring him out late-game so his heavy-duty boots won't get knocked off.
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Body Press
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
Diancie is yet another defensive Leftovers user, but in this case is actually one of the biggest offensive threats on my team next to Ninjask. The reason for this is the offensive coverage is really good against pokemon that the rest of my team struggle against (i.e. Braviary), and covers rock-type threats to Ninjask with Body Press. It can also set up rocks instead of Copperajah, but I only go for this option against teams that Diancie is really bad against, so I am considering replacing that.
Overall weaknesses of my team:
The team struggles against very common NU picks like Starmie and Braviary. I have checks for them (Blastoise/Ninjask for Starmie, Diancie for Braviary), but if I don't have the positioning it can go bad very quickly. I feel as though I need another fast offensive threat with some other coverage moves (electric or ice moves are seriously lacking on my team). I could very easily replace Blastoise, but then my team would be super weak to water. I could replace Dusclops, but then I would be lacking my main Trick Room setup. The other option is to replace Flygon, but the Flygon is a really good check for Fire types, which my team is weak to, as well as Aerodactyl as discussed earlier.
Rotom-Mow is also a huge threat, as I don't really have good defense vs grass except Ninjask, and then I can get hit pretty hard by a volt-switch and lose positioning on top of that.
Overall strengths of my team:
Most teams I face can't deal with the Trick Room very well. Lots of tanky mons also means I can switch a lot to get good positioning. I also have Ninjask and Diancie that both have serious set-up threat, which is difficult to play against.
Replays:
Loss vs Rotom-Mow, Braviary, Starmie
Win vs Braviary, Starmie - Copperajah + Ninask come in clutch
Win - Great setup with Diancie