Without further ado, here's the team.
I'll start off by explaining my thought process behind why I selected each member.
I started off with Mega Gardevoir simply because I wanted to build a team around her. Spamming Pixilate Hyper Voice is too strong and too fun so all I had to do was pick her and support her which didn't seem too hard. Mega Gardevoir is a good pick in this metagame because, although I see a ton of HO, with a little help, Mega Garde can come in and nuke something just by shouting at it. It also butchers stall and DUMPSTERS MEGA SABLEYE HOLY F BAN THAT THING.
Next I added Bisharp to the team. Honestly, Bisharp is an auto-include in most of my Offensive teams because of what he brings to the table. Priority Sucker Punch is great for taking down frail 'mons that are weakened a little bit like Excadrill or Mega Manectric. It also serves as a Pursuit trapper for Ghost-types and Psychic-types--especially the Lati Twins--but I have Garde to deal with them if Bisharp can't. Having Steel is also good in this meta-game where Faeries are so abundant.
After Bisharp came Talonflame. Now, I already had him in my mind since I had used a team with a premise similar to this one before, and he's an integral part of this team. Talonflame is a win-con by himself and also enables Mega Gardevoir as a win-con with the use of Tailwind.
Next came Starmie. Since I added Talonflame and he was going to be spamming Skill Bird all the time, I needed something that could get rid of rocks. I briefly considered adding Latias or Latios but I'm pretty tired of slapping them on every team, plus, I wanted something that was fast and could punch some holes in the enemy team without getting a drop in Sp. Attack. Starmie does that by virtue of its awesome coverage, decent Special Attack, fantastic base 115 Speed all while providing valuable Rapid Spin support.
Even with Starmie and Talonflame, I wanted a 'mon that could help against the many Bullet Punches that would be directed towards Gardevoir. The ladder is full of Mega Scizor, Mega Medicham, and Mega Lopunny (seriously, what the hell) eager to spam priority. Well, guess what, Rocky Helmet Garchomp is here to take hits and destroy you in the process. He can also set up rocks which is nice considering this team aims to weaken the enemy until a faster 'mon can sweep.
As an additional note, keep in mind that simply having the enemy know you carry TankChomp is pretty important when you play with Mega Gardevoir. The fact that you can switch from Garde to Chomp to take a Bullet Punch and chip away at the enemy will play a big factor in mind-games.
This fuccboi right here, goddamn. Breloom was added to this team because I wanted a Grass type to round up my coverage. This guy provides priority and some ridiculously strong Bullet Seeds. He can also get rid of Weavile or revenge kill Zard Y provided rocks are up. Breloom also has Spore which is amazing utility; in many match-ups you can invalidate an enemy Pokemon for the rest of the match because keeping it in the front-line while asleep is just too slow. It also gets through Bulky Water and Ground-types and can nail some KO's with high Bullet Seed rolls + another attack.
Now, let's look at the sets.
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Taunt/Will-o-Wisp
It's VERY important that Gardevoir be female, it's not fun winning by sexually confusing your opponent.
Gardevoirite is chosen as the Item because we want to Mega evolve.
Trace is chosen as the pre-Mega ability because it lets us copy useful abilities like Intimidate, Speed Boost, and the like. It also lets you copy sand offense Excadrill's Sand Rush and outspeed but ONLY if he's Adamant and you run Timid. Synchronize rarely gets any use and it shouldn't, either, because you don't want Garde getting Paralyzed or something.
The spread works similar to the more common 24 Def one since it avoids the 2HKO from Life Orb Latios' Psyshock but this one adds a tiny amount of extra bulk to Garde. Honestly, it doesn't make much of a difference but that's the relevant calc the spread is for.
Modest is chosen as the nature because we want to fuck shit UP. We don't play games. Modest Garde hits like a truck and blows right past (almost) everything in its path. By running Modest instead of Timid you can really pressure Stall and net some KO's that you otherwise wouldn't if you didn't run Modest. It's also part of the idea behind this team: get a really strong nuker and give it Speed with Tailwind to let it wreck through everything.
Hyper Voice is sort of self explanatory. It's your strongest STAB move and it's spammable. The fact that it goes through subs is nice since you can hit stuff like Sub/Seed Serperior, Sub/Calm Mind Keldeo or Raikou and the like. This attack would also be chosen even if it didn't hit through subs but it's good to keep in mind the fact that it can do so.
Psyshock is the next attack chosen. It provides Psychic stab that extends your coverage and hits Specially Defensive beefy 'mons harder than Hyper Voice, namely the blobs and any 'mon that gets up Calm Mind(s).
Focus Blast is there for coverage. It lets you hit stuff like Heatran which would otherwise wall you, Tyranitar, Ferrothorn (but don't stay in on this guy, his Gyro Ball will fuck you up), etc. A pretty good move overall but make sure to account for its shaky accuracy.
Taunt is the final move because Stall is annoying and this move helps against fatmons that want to spam Hazards/Status/Recovery/Leech Seed--you name it. Will-o-Wisp is also an option if you want to burn Physical Attackers on the switch but the job Garde has on this team is to dismantle Stall and sweep late-game where she won't need Will-o-Wisp. It's still a good move, though, if you find it to your liking then run it.
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit/Swords Dance
Everyone's favorite Red Ranger.
Life Orb is the item chosen to add that oomph to your punches. It's important that you snag KO's with priority Sucker Punch powered up by Life Orb or even just leave the enemy low enough for another teammate to come in and use their Speed/priority to get an easy kill. You can use Blackglasses if you don't want to deal with the recoil but imo it's worth it overall. Don't run Sash. I'll hunt you down if you do.
Defiant is the chosen ability because the other ones are a joke compared to it. Switching in on Defog, Intimidate, or random Sp. Def drops from Shadow Ball and getting +2 from that can let you sweep the enemy with Sucker Punch.
The spread and the nature are pretty standard: max Attack boosted by Adamant and max Speed to hit as hard as possible as fast as possible (which isn't very fast).
Knock Off is amazing both as utility and as a hard-hitting STAB. Taking off items like Choice Scarves or Leftovers is quite relevant and gives Knock Off a boost in damage. It's very spammable alongside Iron Head.
Iron Head is here because it's another decently strong STAB move that you can spam. It also slays Faeries like Clefable and can let you hax your way through 1v1s in some cases.
Sucker Punch gives priority to Bisharp which it desperately needs because of its low Speed stat. 80 Base Power is also strong for a priority move. This move will let you net KO's against faster Pokemon and also brings a whole new dimension to predicting because of the mind-games you and your opponent will play. Be very cognizant of how the opponent is playing and what their team carries to see if you think his Latios carries HP Fighting/Earthquake/HP Fire, if he'll switch to an obvious check or counter, etc. so as to not waste your Bisharp.
Pursuit lets you trap Psychics and Ghosts although the explanation above carries over. Will that Gengar go for a Will-o-Wisp, Substitute, Focus Blast, or switch? Does he have a switch-in? Ask yourself that before mindlessly pressing Pursuit. Swords Dance is also an option if you think trapping isn't necessary and want another win-con. I don't think it's necessary but a +2 Bisharp with Sucker Punch is very scary and definitely a viable strategy to go for.
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Tailwind
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Roost
Sharp Beak Talonflame provides some nice offense. The Item doesn't help with bulk, longevity, or power for Flare Blitz but that's ok since you'll mostly be spamming Ayylmao Bird and winning.
Gale Wings is the chosen ability because priority for a 120 Base Power move is ridiculous. It also gives your Roost priority which should be kept in mind since it leaves you prone to Earthquakes and takes away your Flying weakness.
EVs and Nature are standard for a strong and speedy Physical Attacker. Jolly over Adamant because you want to run circles over most of the meta-game and want to, at most, speed-tie with other Talonflames. It happens more often than you think.
Tailwind is the first move because it's what Talonflame is here for. It's here to allow a late-game Gardevoir sweep but it can also enable fun stuff like stupid fast Starmie, Bisharp, and light-speed Spores from Breloom. Use it when you know you'll get killed so you can reap as much benefit from the turns it's active as possible.
Brave Bird is here to be spammed. It's incredibly strong, it has priority, but it has recoil so be smart about it.
Flare Blitz is to give Talon more options on what it'll wreck, namely Steels and especially 4x weak 'mons like Scizor and Ferrothorn. Don't be too trigger-happy with this move, it's not as strong as Brave Bird because of Sharp Beak.
Roost rounds up the set with a move that can extend Talonflame's longevity. Many times rocks will be up or Talon will switch in on an attack that it resists and force a switch. You can use this opportunity to Roost up and heal to let you spam Brave Bird.
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
Starmie is too good.
Life Orb in conjunction with Analytic means that Starmie severely cripples whatever Pokemon comes in after it forces something out and with its awesome coverage it'll be doing that often. Lefties could be used if you wanted to live longer but then I'd also switch a move for Recovery and then you'd be better off running Bulky Starmie which isn't as good as Offensive, in my opinion.
The Evs and Nature are standard for a fast Special Attacker that wants to hit hard and hit fast. Again, switch Sp. Attack to HP if you're going for bulk but you're better off using Offensive Starmie.
Scald is the first move chosen because it provides consistent damage and a 99% chance to Burn. It's chosen over something like Hydro Pump because we're not looking to nuke stuff, that's Gardevoir's job, we want consistent damage that will allow for a sweep later on.
Ice Beam is the second move we run because many commonly used Pokemon are 4x weak to it and there's no Ice attacks on my team. Sometimes I'll send Starmie as my lead if I expect something like a Garchomp or Landorus-T to come out to set up rocks from the get-go.
Thunderbolt is an interesting move and one run because it lets Starmie deal with Water-types like Azumarill, Manaphy, Slowbro, Keldeo (although Psyshock could also take care of this one), etc. especially on predicted switch-ins.
Rapid Spin is obvious: it's here only to clear away hazards. Don't get into Rapid Spin vs Stealth Rock wars because Life Orb recoil wears you down. Getting rid of rocks isn't SUPER important so don't overextend for it, aggressively search for the spin if you think Talonflame will be invaluable against the enemy or if you'll get worn down too much by them. Remember that it's sometimes worth sacking Starmie if it gets rid of rocks and lets Talonflame do its job.
Garchomp (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
- Fire Blast
The one, the only, TankChomp is here. Rocky Helmet + Rough Skin are the Item and Ability chosen because they make Physical Attackers take a buttload of damage whenever they come in contact with Chomp. This is important especially when going against teams that carry priority, namely Bullet Punch users, because they'll often try to Bullet Punch/Extremespeed Mega Gardevoir to get an easy kill only to deal a little bit of damage to Chomp and take a lot in return because. This will make some enemies more reluctant and less trigger-happy with their Priority.
EVs are standard TankChomp. They provide good Defensive bulk while the 92 Speed is there to outspeed Jolly Bisharp (even though most are Adamant but we can just play it safe), Breloom, and other base 70 Pokemon. Impish Nature over something like Naughty or Relaxed because our Defenses and Speed are more important than our Special Attack.
Stealth Rocks are pretty self-explanatory. Most teams run hazards and this one isn't any different. Rocks provide chip damage throughout the match and big damage against stuff like Charizard, Volcarona, and Talonflame. Getting them up is important since they let you get to your win-con with Garde or Talon but don't just default to Garchomp as your lead to get them up since the beginning; you'll find opportunities during the match to do so. Remember that you have Breloom and Starmie to act as leads if you think they'll be more impactful from the start than Chomp. Rocks are a priority if you see any of the three Fire 'mons I mentioned before, though.
The next move is Earthquake. Not much to say about it other than that it's a solid STAB move that can be spammed and lets you deal with Pokemon like Heatran and Excadrill.
Dragon Tail is the third move in the set and it's here because it lets you phase out Pokemon and have them take damage from Stealth Rocks. Many times you'll send chomp out, pop your rocks, and the opposing 'mon (usually Lando-T) will switch into another Pokemon. Dragon Tail will switch them for another Pokemon that is usually sub-optimal over the one they had on the field. It also lets you phase out Pokemon that have set up a few Calm Minds but don't bank on it as your saving grace from those set-ups.
Fire Blast is the final move and it's here purely for Skarmory and 4x weak 'mons. Ferrothorn and Scizor don't enjoy taking Fire Blasts and the knowledge that you run it is enough to make them think twice about staying in trying to do something cheeky, especially Ferrothorn.
Breloom @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Bullet Seed
- Mach Punch
- Rock Tomb
Breloom is one of the funnest Pokemon I've ever used. Nothing beats knowing that you'll make something fall asleep and then wreck havoc on whatever comes next. Focus Sash is the chosen Item for Breloom because of this; if you run Breloom as a lead or bring him in when there are no hazards on the field and no Pokemon to absorb Spores, you can easily make something fall asleep and then go to town with Bullet Seed. Life Orb is another option for Breloom but I think it's pretty important in many matches that you get guaranteed Spores off.
Technician is the chosen Ability because it boosts his whole kit's power, especially Bullet Seed, to awesome levels of power.
EVs and Nature are standard for a 'mon looking to hit as hard as possible, as fast as possible. Breloom's base Speed sucks (70) but running max Speed lets you outrun most fatmons and Spore them.
Spore is obvious in conjunction with Focus Sash because you incapacitate something for a long time. Versus Hyper Offense many times you'll send Breloom out, get your Sash procced, put something to Sleep, and then go to town with Bullet Seed. Spore is also good when you want to ease prediction. If you know that the enemy has no Pokemon that can absorb Spores and instead has to choose their poison, you can click Spore to put something to Sleep, guaranteed.
Bullet Seed is chosen next because it brings the Grass-type move this team needs. Powered by STAB and Technician, it turns into a crazy strong move although it's reliant on RNG. Assume that you'll get 3 shots when making calculations in your head, try to avoid setting up for situations where you need 4 or 5.
Mach Punch is the third move since it gives Breloom priority that lets it revenge kill Weavile and Bisharp and Mega Lopunny after Stealth Rocks damage. Don't spam it for STAB, it's here because of its priority.
Rock Tomb is the final move in the set and it's here to nail Talonflame, Volcarona, Charizard, and Flying-types. The Speed debuff is nice but you're mostly going to use it to hit these Pokemon Super Effectively.
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That's it for my waifu and her squad. I hope you guys found the read interesting and give my team a try, it hasn't let me down and won't let you down either.
Here's a replay I have that showcases how important knowing how expendable members are in a match and also portrays how much of a beast Breloom is. Notice I I have no problem letting Chomp, Bisharp, and Starmie die (even though I didn't expect a Discharge) since they fulfilled their jobs and will let Talon, Garde, and Breloom carry me to victory.
Breloom da bess
I'll add more replays later.
I appreciate all constructive criticism offered.
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Tailwind
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Roost
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
Breloom @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Bullet Seed
- Mach Punch
- Rock Tomb
Garchomp (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
- Fire Blast
Ability: Trace
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 16 HP / 8 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Taunt
Bisharp @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Tailwind
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Roost
Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Rapid Spin
Breloom @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Bullet Seed
- Mach Punch
- Rock Tomb
Garchomp (F) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Tail
- Fire Blast
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