Hello everyone! This is one of the most unique teams I’ve created, and it’s absolutely terrifying if you don’t know what’s happening. I peaked at 1478 on the ladder, so it seems to be good. (Note that I’m not that great a player; I frequently make really stupid mistakes and lose when I clearly should have won. I’m pretty sure this could easily be 1500+ if I were a little more experienced.)
The ultimate objective of this team is unique, terrifying, and actually quite simple: baton pass an Agility to Mega Gardevoir and proceed to sweep entire teams. However, pulling this off is rather tricky. Most notably, I have to remove or cripple certain priority users, mainly Talonflame, (Mega) Scizor, and Mega Metagross (with Bullet Punch). I also need to avoid Prankster Thunder Waves from Thundurus and Klefki, which will instantly stop Gardevoir’s sweep. Only after these threats are removed can I attempt to pass an Agility and clean up.
This was built around Mega Gardevoir from the beginning.
I needed a Baton Passer to get Gardevoir to +2 speed. Gliscor was the best option because it can Sub+Protect for as long as needed, waiting for full paralysis, Life Orb recoil, move misses, or switches.
I wanted something to support Gliscor and Gardevoir, and Whimsicott does an excellent job.
I added a Stealth Rocker and a Talonflame and Scizor counter.
I chose Magnezone to easily trap and kill pesky Steel types.
I added a secondary check to Talonflame and Scizor, as well as a blanket check to many boosting sweepers that can set up on Gliscor.
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast
Garchomp is my Stealth Rocker and one of my Talonflame and (Mega) Scizor checks (the other being Quagsire). Rocks are very important for this team, since they break Sashes and Multiscale (Mega Gardevoir at +1 still can’t OHKO bulky Dragonite through Multiscale). The chip damage also adds up throughout the battle, making it easier for Gardevoir to sweep. I’m running the bulky Tank Chomp set because that’s the best option against Talonflame, Scizor, and many other priority users except Weavile. Fire Blast is for Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory, all of which need to be weakened or taken out before Gardevoir’s sweep. I use Dragon Claw over Dragon Tail because I don’t want to be forced to move last, which helps in killing slower Pokemon and in the rare case that I pass an Agility to Chomp (this can happen if I mess up and lose Gardevoir). The EVs are meant to outspeed Jolly Bisharp, which threatens Gardevoir with Sucker Punch. I usually lead with Garchomp to set up rocks, unless I’m predicting that the opponent will lead with something that can easily kill Chomp. In that case, I’ll probably lead with Whimsicott.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Agility
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
Gliscor’s job is to Baton Pass an Agility to Gardevoir. Ideally, Gliscor will be behind a Substitute when passing, so that Gardevoir gets in undamaged. However, Gardevoir can still come in without a sub on weaker special attacks like HP Ice. Protect allows me to fully regain Substitute recoil due to Poison Heal and is great for scouting and getting the Toxic Orb activated. Agility is required for passing the +2 speed boost, and Baton Pass is likewise obvious. The HP EVs hit a Poison Heal number, and I dump the rest into the defenses. My defense investment is so lopsided because that increases the chances of my substitute surviving one (weak) physical hit. I’d rather have a substitute live two turns than be bulkier on the special side, since that means Gardevoir gets in without damage. The 0 Attack IVs are to minimize damage from confusion and Foul Play; this idea is also used on Gardevoir, Whimsicott, and Magnezone, so I won’t repeat it there.
I bring in Gliscor on bulky Pokemon (Hippowdon, Chansey, Mew, etc.) or physical attackers that aren’t super effective (Garchomp, Landorus-T, etc.), or on Pokemon that are paralyzed (and that hopefully don’t have an Ice move). Here’s why paralysis helps Gliscor: if the opposing Pokemon is fully paralyzed when Gliscor uses Substitute, then I get a free Agility or Baton Pass. I can simply spam Sub+Protect until this happens, or until the opponent switches. Usually the opponent will figure this out and switch on one of my Protect turns, which is remedied by sometimes using Substitute twice in a row. I’m often able to predict the switch and can get the Sub. Another technique I use with Gliscor is PP stalling – if the opponent is using a move with less than 16 PP, then they will eventually be forced into using a different move at some point, and usually this move is non-damaging or is too weak to break the substitute. Since I have many chances to do a double-Substitute, this usually works out in my favor. Another thing Gliscor can do is stall for the opposing Pokemon to die from poison or Life Orb recoil. Since no one expects this set on a Gliscor, the surprise factor causes many switches and therefore free turns for Gliscor to set up.
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 160 Def / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
Gardevoir is the star of the team. Calm Mind is very useful when Gardevoir comes in on a Special Attacker, allowing Hyper Voice or Psyshock to OHKO pretty much everything at +1. Focus Blast, although inaccurate, is necessary to beat Steel types. I don’t run HP Fire because that would leave me completely walled by Heatran, and since Gardevoir is my only sweeper, I really can’t afford to be walled by anything. I don’t actually Focus Blast that often because I try to weaken Steels before bringing in Gardevoir so that they can be KO’d with Hyper Voice. Focus Blast is pretty much used when there’s no other choice, at which point I can’t really complain about the accuracy. Also, if I get into a position where I know I can win if I hit one Focus Blast, then I’ll go ahead and take the 70% win rate. It’ll even out eventually.
I’m assuming that Gardevoir will always be passed +2 speed, and the EVs are centered on that idea. There’s no need to run Timid or very much speed, since Modest and 96 speed is enough to outspeed literally everything outside weather except Scarf Latios (and a Scarf Latios can’t really hurt Gardevoir). Without so much Speed investment, Gardevoir becomes much more powerful – I maximize Special Attack and dump the rest of the EVs into Defense to better take priority moves (and all relevant ones are physical). Check out these calcs:
252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 208-246 (75 - 88.8%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 169-199 (61 - 71.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Sharp Beak Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 196-232 (70.7 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 136-162 (49 - 58.4%)
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Quick Attack vs. 0 HP / 120 Def Mega Gardevoir: 118-139 (42.5 - 50.1%)
252 Atk Life Orb Weavile Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 94-110 (33.9 - 39.7%)
(Gardevoir is still OHKO’d by Bullet Punch from Scizor.)
This means that I can sometimes unleash Gardevoir even before all priority users have been removed; I simply need to ensure that the priority users are weakened enough so that Gardevoir can OHKO them. Further, I need to be wary of chip damage such as Spikes and Sandstorm. If done correctly, getting Mega Gardevoir at +2 speed is essentially an instant win.
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Tailwind
- Memento
Whimsicott supports Gliscor and Gardevoir by spreading paralysis. Gardevoir can be used to revenge kill paralyzed opponents (or severely dent whatever switches in), and Gliscor loves setting up on paralyzed opponents. Encore is a very annoying move for the opponent and pretty much forces a switch. Tailwind is useful because it gives Mega Gardevoir a temporary +2 speed boost which it can use to punch gaping holes in the opposing team before the tailwind expires. Magnezone is also a good user of the Tailwind boost. Memento is used as a last-ditch effort and greatly helps Gliscor set up both Agility and Substitute.
Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
Magnezone is the dedicated Steel trapper, eliminating Steels that give Gardevoir trouble. I use Specs over Scarf because HP Fire with Scarf fails to OHKO Scizor. However, this does leave Magnezone outsped by max Speed Scizor. Another reason to use Specs is that Magnezone sometimes gets +2 Speed anyway (either from Whimsicott’s Tailwind or passed Agility by Gliscor). The 84 Speed EVs let Magnezone outspeed min-speed Skarmory.
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Quagsire is the secondary check to Talonflame and (Mega) Scizor, and it helps support Gliscor and Gardevoir by spreading burns. He’s the check for any boosting sweepers thanks to Unaware. Since Quagsire is so slow anyway, I figure he might as well be minimum speed for use against Trick Room teams. Earthquake also helps against opposing Steels. Gliscor can abuse Quagsire’s Toxic by Sub+Protect stalling.
List of Pokemon to weaken or kill before setting up Gardevoir (top priority first):
Threats:
Replays (trying to demonstrate a variety of tactics I’ve learned to use):
Things I’ve thought about or tried:
Two other Pokemon can pass speed to Gardevoir: Scolipede (with Speed Boost) and Mew (with Rock Polish). I’ve tried both, and neither is as successful as Gliscor. Scolipede can’t Sub+Protect stall for long before he dies from recoil, which is a problem when trying to set up on paralyzed Pokemon or on moves with low PP. It’s also weak to Stealth Rock, which limits how many chances I get to set up. It’s incredibly frail, and I almost never was able to have a Substitute live more than one hit. Plus, Scolipede doesn’t have the same kind of surprise factor as Gliscor; when you see a Scolipede with Speed Boost, you immediately start thinking about who it’s going to pass to. Mew is another option but suffers from some of the same problems: it can’t stall for very long at all, so getting a Substitute to Gardevoir is almost impossible. Further, Mew attracts Dark types moves, which is terrible for Gardevoir when passing without a sub. Remember, while the Ice weakness is bad, passing to Gardevoir is more important, since it’s necessary in almost every single battle.
I’ve tried using Klefki before as a Prankster paralyzer (also running dual screens) but I found that it wasn’t nearly as useful as Whimsicott. It simply did not disrupt the opposing team consistently, as Whimsicott does (with Encore). The dual screens also didn’t help much, since they would pretty much disappear by the time Gardevoir got onto the field. Thundurus is the final Prankster paralyzer option, but it has the same Ice weakness, so switching Whimsicott to Thundurus won’t help with that.
I’ve thought about HP Fire on Gardevoir over Focus Blast. The only things that HP Fire hits harder are Ferrothorn and (Mega) Scizor. I shouldn’t be staying in on a Scizor anyway, since Bullet Punch OHKO’s Gardevoir. Ferrothorn is actually not that hard to deal with in my experience, whereas Heatran is more menacing.
Final thoughts:
I’ve tried really hard to get rid of my glaring ice weakness, but to no avail. Gliscor is my best option for passing, which was explained above. Garchomp serves two purposes – setting up rocks and being my Talonflame and Scizor checks. I can’t think of another Pokemon that can serve both purposes except Landorus-T, which still has the same Ice weakness. Whimsicott also seemingly can’t change, as explained above. At this point, I feel that making significant improvements to this team would require a major overhaul.
Thus, I am completely fine with an overhaul as long as the core idea remains the same: pass a +2 speed boost to Mega Gardevoir. I know that raters are typically told not to change too many Pokemon, but in this case, it just might be necessary to get improvements. I would like whatever help I can get.
Thank you to everyone who rates!
The ultimate objective of this team is unique, terrifying, and actually quite simple: baton pass an Agility to Mega Gardevoir and proceed to sweep entire teams. However, pulling this off is rather tricky. Most notably, I have to remove or cripple certain priority users, mainly Talonflame, (Mega) Scizor, and Mega Metagross (with Bullet Punch). I also need to avoid Prankster Thunder Waves from Thundurus and Klefki, which will instantly stop Gardevoir’s sweep. Only after these threats are removed can I attempt to pass an Agility and clean up.
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast
Garchomp is my Stealth Rocker and one of my Talonflame and (Mega) Scizor checks (the other being Quagsire). Rocks are very important for this team, since they break Sashes and Multiscale (Mega Gardevoir at +1 still can’t OHKO bulky Dragonite through Multiscale). The chip damage also adds up throughout the battle, making it easier for Gardevoir to sweep. I’m running the bulky Tank Chomp set because that’s the best option against Talonflame, Scizor, and many other priority users except Weavile. Fire Blast is for Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory, all of which need to be weakened or taken out before Gardevoir’s sweep. I use Dragon Claw over Dragon Tail because I don’t want to be forced to move last, which helps in killing slower Pokemon and in the rare case that I pass an Agility to Chomp (this can happen if I mess up and lose Gardevoir). The EVs are meant to outspeed Jolly Bisharp, which threatens Gardevoir with Sucker Punch. I usually lead with Garchomp to set up rocks, unless I’m predicting that the opponent will lead with something that can easily kill Chomp. In that case, I’ll probably lead with Whimsicott.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Agility
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
Gliscor’s job is to Baton Pass an Agility to Gardevoir. Ideally, Gliscor will be behind a Substitute when passing, so that Gardevoir gets in undamaged. However, Gardevoir can still come in without a sub on weaker special attacks like HP Ice. Protect allows me to fully regain Substitute recoil due to Poison Heal and is great for scouting and getting the Toxic Orb activated. Agility is required for passing the +2 speed boost, and Baton Pass is likewise obvious. The HP EVs hit a Poison Heal number, and I dump the rest into the defenses. My defense investment is so lopsided because that increases the chances of my substitute surviving one (weak) physical hit. I’d rather have a substitute live two turns than be bulkier on the special side, since that means Gardevoir gets in without damage. The 0 Attack IVs are to minimize damage from confusion and Foul Play; this idea is also used on Gardevoir, Whimsicott, and Magnezone, so I won’t repeat it there.
I bring in Gliscor on bulky Pokemon (Hippowdon, Chansey, Mew, etc.) or physical attackers that aren’t super effective (Garchomp, Landorus-T, etc.), or on Pokemon that are paralyzed (and that hopefully don’t have an Ice move). Here’s why paralysis helps Gliscor: if the opposing Pokemon is fully paralyzed when Gliscor uses Substitute, then I get a free Agility or Baton Pass. I can simply spam Sub+Protect until this happens, or until the opponent switches. Usually the opponent will figure this out and switch on one of my Protect turns, which is remedied by sometimes using Substitute twice in a row. I’m often able to predict the switch and can get the Sub. Another technique I use with Gliscor is PP stalling – if the opponent is using a move with less than 16 PP, then they will eventually be forced into using a different move at some point, and usually this move is non-damaging or is too weak to break the substitute. Since I have many chances to do a double-Substitute, this usually works out in my favor. Another thing Gliscor can do is stall for the opposing Pokemon to die from poison or Life Orb recoil. Since no one expects this set on a Gliscor, the surprise factor causes many switches and therefore free turns for Gliscor to set up.
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 160 Def / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
Gardevoir is the star of the team. Calm Mind is very useful when Gardevoir comes in on a Special Attacker, allowing Hyper Voice or Psyshock to OHKO pretty much everything at +1. Focus Blast, although inaccurate, is necessary to beat Steel types. I don’t run HP Fire because that would leave me completely walled by Heatran, and since Gardevoir is my only sweeper, I really can’t afford to be walled by anything. I don’t actually Focus Blast that often because I try to weaken Steels before bringing in Gardevoir so that they can be KO’d with Hyper Voice. Focus Blast is pretty much used when there’s no other choice, at which point I can’t really complain about the accuracy. Also, if I get into a position where I know I can win if I hit one Focus Blast, then I’ll go ahead and take the 70% win rate. It’ll even out eventually.
I’m assuming that Gardevoir will always be passed +2 speed, and the EVs are centered on that idea. There’s no need to run Timid or very much speed, since Modest and 96 speed is enough to outspeed literally everything outside weather except Scarf Latios (and a Scarf Latios can’t really hurt Gardevoir). Without so much Speed investment, Gardevoir becomes much more powerful – I maximize Special Attack and dump the rest of the EVs into Defense to better take priority moves (and all relevant ones are physical). Check out these calcs:
252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 208-246 (75 - 88.8%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 169-199 (61 - 71.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Sharp Beak Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 196-232 (70.7 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 136-162 (49 - 58.4%)
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Quick Attack vs. 0 HP / 120 Def Mega Gardevoir: 118-139 (42.5 - 50.1%)
252 Atk Life Orb Weavile Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 160 Def Mega Gardevoir: 94-110 (33.9 - 39.7%)
(Gardevoir is still OHKO’d by Bullet Punch from Scizor.)
This means that I can sometimes unleash Gardevoir even before all priority users have been removed; I simply need to ensure that the priority users are weakened enough so that Gardevoir can OHKO them. Further, I need to be wary of chip damage such as Spikes and Sandstorm. If done correctly, getting Mega Gardevoir at +2 speed is essentially an instant win.
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Tailwind
- Memento
Whimsicott supports Gliscor and Gardevoir by spreading paralysis. Gardevoir can be used to revenge kill paralyzed opponents (or severely dent whatever switches in), and Gliscor loves setting up on paralyzed opponents. Encore is a very annoying move for the opponent and pretty much forces a switch. Tailwind is useful because it gives Mega Gardevoir a temporary +2 speed boost which it can use to punch gaping holes in the opposing team before the tailwind expires. Magnezone is also a good user of the Tailwind boost. Memento is used as a last-ditch effort and greatly helps Gliscor set up both Agility and Substitute.
Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
Magnezone is the dedicated Steel trapper, eliminating Steels that give Gardevoir trouble. I use Specs over Scarf because HP Fire with Scarf fails to OHKO Scizor. However, this does leave Magnezone outsped by max Speed Scizor. Another reason to use Specs is that Magnezone sometimes gets +2 Speed anyway (either from Whimsicott’s Tailwind or passed Agility by Gliscor). The 84 Speed EVs let Magnezone outspeed min-speed Skarmory.
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Quagsire is the secondary check to Talonflame and (Mega) Scizor, and it helps support Gliscor and Gardevoir by spreading burns. He’s the check for any boosting sweepers thanks to Unaware. Since Quagsire is so slow anyway, I figure he might as well be minimum speed for use against Trick Room teams. Earthquake also helps against opposing Steels. Gliscor can abuse Quagsire’s Toxic by Sub+Protect stalling.
List of Pokemon to weaken or kill before setting up Gardevoir (top priority first):
- Thundurus: Kill; prankster Thunder Wave cripples Gardevoir.
- Klefki: Kill; prankster Thunder Wave cripples Gardevoir.
- Scizor (almost all variants, including Mega Scizor): Needs to be killed or burned and weakened because Bullet Punch can OHKO Gardevoir.
- Talonflame: Needs to be killed if banded; otherwise needs to be weakened to 63% for OHKO with Psyshock (if the Talon is bulky). (Non-Band Jolly Brave Bird does max 84% to Gardevoir.)
- Mega Metagross: Needs to be killed if running Bullet Punch, weakened otherwise (Focus Blast does 52%, Hyper Voice does 38%).
- Jirachi: Weaken; Focus Blast does 31% minimum, or 47% at +1. (Might as well kill with Magnezone; Jirachi can’t do much to Magnezone anyway.)
- Skarmory: Weaken; Focus Blast does 46% minimum, or 69% at +1.
- Heatran: Weaken; Focus Blast does 65% minimum, or 97% at +1.
- Ferrothorn: Weaken; Focus Blast does 74% minimum, or OHKO at +1.
- Excadrill: Weaken; Focus Blast does 76% minimum if specially defensive. Hyper Voice does 49% minimum.
- Chansey: Weaken; Psyshock does 35% minimum, or 52% at +1. (Chansey can Thunder Wave or Toxic!)
Threats:
- Talonflame, Scizor, Mega Scizor, Mega Metagross: It’s obvious why these are threats, and for the most part it should be obvious how I deal with them (Garchomp and Quagsire). There’s another trick for Scizor and Klefki that I haven’t discussed: set up Gardevoir normally, and when Scizor/Klefki comes in to stop the sweep, switch to Magnezone to trap. Then, set up again later (or use Whimsicott’s Tailwind).
- Weavile/Mamoswine: I’m *very* ice weak, and that makes battling Weavile an absolute pain. My best bet is to paralyze it and then use Zone or Quag.
- Serperior: My two usual answers to setup sweepers are Whimsicott (Stun Spore) and Quagsire (Unaware), but neither of these can touch Serperior. The only thing I can do is use Tailwind and revenge with something (or two!).
- Thundurus: This can’t be paralyzed and typically runs HP Ice. The only thing I can do is Tailwind and revenge with Mega Gardevoir. If it switches out, I can only hope that I can set up before it comes back.
- Gengar: I once had a Gengar evade Stun Spore, and it proceeded to wreck the team (it also had Icy Wind).
- Other fast special sweepers: The majority of my team invests in physical defense but not special defense. If a special sweeper can avoid getting paralyzed, it poses a huge threat to the team.
- Taunt: Whimsicott and Gliscor both utterly fail against Taunt. I just have to play around that carefully. The good thing is, Gliscor can use Agility while the opponent switches to the Taunt user, and then Gliscor can outspeed and Baton Pass to Gardevoir while the opponent uses Taunt.
Replays (trying to demonstrate a variety of tactics I’ve learned to use):
- Where I bait the opponent into using a move that doesn’t break Gliscor’s sub: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-266266149
- Where I easily survive Bisharp’s Sucker Punch: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-266617395
- Where I adopt an alternate battle plan, recalling Gardevoir and sending her out later under Tailwind: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-266628391
- Where I don’t even use Gliscor at all (opponent wasn’t playing very well): http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-266632078
- Where I pass to Magnezone to trap a Scizor: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-266899812
- Where Whimsicott shows how annoying it can be: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-268056585
- Where my opponent is so confused by Gliscor: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-268059151
- Where another opponent is confused by Gliscor: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-270133205
- Where I win very quickly in the normal way: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-268098684
- Where Gardevoir doesn’t need a sub: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-270067890
- Where I make several mistakes and Gliscor is good at PP stalling (which begins at about turn 50): http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-270135167
Things I’ve thought about or tried:
Two other Pokemon can pass speed to Gardevoir: Scolipede (with Speed Boost) and Mew (with Rock Polish). I’ve tried both, and neither is as successful as Gliscor. Scolipede can’t Sub+Protect stall for long before he dies from recoil, which is a problem when trying to set up on paralyzed Pokemon or on moves with low PP. It’s also weak to Stealth Rock, which limits how many chances I get to set up. It’s incredibly frail, and I almost never was able to have a Substitute live more than one hit. Plus, Scolipede doesn’t have the same kind of surprise factor as Gliscor; when you see a Scolipede with Speed Boost, you immediately start thinking about who it’s going to pass to. Mew is another option but suffers from some of the same problems: it can’t stall for very long at all, so getting a Substitute to Gardevoir is almost impossible. Further, Mew attracts Dark types moves, which is terrible for Gardevoir when passing without a sub. Remember, while the Ice weakness is bad, passing to Gardevoir is more important, since it’s necessary in almost every single battle.
I’ve tried using Klefki before as a Prankster paralyzer (also running dual screens) but I found that it wasn’t nearly as useful as Whimsicott. It simply did not disrupt the opposing team consistently, as Whimsicott does (with Encore). The dual screens also didn’t help much, since they would pretty much disappear by the time Gardevoir got onto the field. Thundurus is the final Prankster paralyzer option, but it has the same Ice weakness, so switching Whimsicott to Thundurus won’t help with that.
I’ve thought about HP Fire on Gardevoir over Focus Blast. The only things that HP Fire hits harder are Ferrothorn and (Mega) Scizor. I shouldn’t be staying in on a Scizor anyway, since Bullet Punch OHKO’s Gardevoir. Ferrothorn is actually not that hard to deal with in my experience, whereas Heatran is more menacing.
Final thoughts:
I’ve tried really hard to get rid of my glaring ice weakness, but to no avail. Gliscor is my best option for passing, which was explained above. Garchomp serves two purposes – setting up rocks and being my Talonflame and Scizor checks. I can’t think of another Pokemon that can serve both purposes except Landorus-T, which still has the same Ice weakness. Whimsicott also seemingly can’t change, as explained above. At this point, I feel that making significant improvements to this team would require a major overhaul.
Thus, I am completely fine with an overhaul as long as the core idea remains the same: pass a +2 speed boost to Mega Gardevoir. I know that raters are typically told not to change too many Pokemon, but in this case, it just might be necessary to get improvements. I would like whatever help I can get.
Thank you to everyone who rates!
Garchomp @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Agility
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 160 Def / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Tailwind
- Memento
Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Agility
- Substitute
- Protect
- Baton Pass
Gardevoir (F) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 160 Def / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Tailwind
- Memento
Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Toxic
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